


Danger From Within

by EvilOtter



Series: Against the new Dark Lord [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2020-02-09 21:53:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 35
Words: 145,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18646822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilOtter/pseuds/EvilOtter
Summary: Elizabeth begins her sixth year, but it is much different without the company of Albus and Rose.  As with life, changes happen, things are learned and new companions found.But something is stirring within Hogwarts, possibly to the detriment of them all.





	1. Fond Memories

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally posted on Harrypotterfanfiction.com under the pen name Evil Otter.
> 
> All recognizable characters, locations and events belong to J.K. Rowling.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth rides the train to Hogwarts with her friends, but this time without Albus and Rose. As she prepares for the coming term she wonders what new things she will experience and whether she can finally have a term without danger.

The gentle rocking of the train car had done its job on her companions. The other students in her compartment were fast asleep and Elizabeth was alone with her thoughts as she looked at the letter that she had read over and over again.

She sniffled as a tear ran down her cheek and she hurried to stop it from falling onto the parchment. A quick wipe of her hand and the offending moisture never managed to join others that had already managed to get past her defenses. Albus had made good on part of the promises that he had made to her at the end of the last term. He had written, just not in the frequency that he had promised, and she had looked forward to the arrival of his owl to drop off his correspondence before taking her return letter back to him. She missed him terribly, even though they had seen each other several times, the most recent being at Diagon Alley when he had joined Lily and their parents to buy school supplies for the coming term.

Elizabeth had known that this would come, that she would make this trip to Hogwarts and that she would do it without the company of her closest friends. This term would be much different than the ones before it as both Albus and Rose had finished their studies and had moved on with their lives. It seemed strange not to see them on board the train while the boy that she loved told horrible jokes about Malfoy and the other Slytherin. Nothing that would get him into trouble, but enough that it would have irritated the members of that House had they overheard the jokes that they were the butt of.

She missed him terribly, even though they had seen each other several times, the most recent being at Diagon Alley when he had joined Lily and their parents to buy school supplies for the coming term. One dreadful difference on the alley had been the change in proprietorship of Ollivander’s. Garrick Ollivander, the wizard who had sold countless wands to countless witches and wizards, had died over the summer and now a family member ran the shop. The wizard lacked the humor of the older man as well as his knowledge of wand lore and many customers left the shop wondering if they truly had been chosen by the correct wand.

Elizabeth didn’t need to worry about this, however, and she ran her fingers over the reassuring hardness of the wand that lay in her robes. She didn’t believe that she would need it on the ride to school but it never hurt to have it handy. The young witch thought with pleasure about the hours that she had spent that day talking to Albus as they walked hand in hand and exchanged kisses. It was quite obvious to the witch that ran the shop which sold components for potions that no love potion was needed for these two young people; they had already found their love.

As she thought about her missing friends she realized how much time had passed since she had been forced to leave Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. It seemed as though it had been only yesterday that she had gotten onto the Hogwarts Express as a frightened second year. It hadn’t been the trip that had bothered her but instead the fear of beginning her studies at Hogwarts after the disgrace at her previous school.

She had met Rose and Lily, who had swiftly moved to comfort her fears and made her feel at ease. It had also been Rose who had dealt with Scorpius Malfoy when the pale boy had started to antagonize Elizabeth. A quick jab to the nose and a foot to the backside had sent the Slytherin boy on his way. After that she had been able to summon the courage to deal with Scorpius herself, and had done so on many occasions.

Scorpius Malfoy, the one that her father had, at one time, wanted her to marry. She could remember many arguments with her parent about her disdain for the boy and his family. The time that she had spent going to school with him had been tumultuous to say the least and the boy had been involved in many plots against her, several of which had nearly gotten him permanently expelled from the school.

The train jostled just a bit which made her glance up at the clock and her eyes widened as she realized that she was five minutes late in starting her rounds. Elizabeth looked down once again at the Prefect’s badge that was pinned to her robes. Lily had stepped aside and allowed her friend to resume her duties after the truth about Elizabeth’s troubles last term had come to light.

She could still see Lily’s face as her best friend had removed the badge from her own robes before pinning it to the robes of another. Elizabeth knew that it had to have been bittersweet emotions that were coursing through Lily at that moment and would not have been bothered had Lily decided to keep the badge. In fact, she had argued strenuously for Lily to do just that but the other girl had insisted.

The passage of the new Prefect for Ravenclaw reminded her that her rounds had begun and she rose reluctantly from her seat, but not before reaching down to caress Tiger. The cat slept through the affection and she remembered to close the door to the compartment behind her to contain him. He was making the trip with her once again, as he had since her first trip to Hogwarts, and she was grateful for this bit of normalcy.

It was not long before she was nearing the door which would take her to the car which housed the members of Slytherin House. She knew that that car was always unpredictable and needed a firm hand to bring to rein. A brief smiled crossed her face as she remembered here the term before this one.

Scorpius, incensed by her presence in the car belonging to Slytherin, had challenged her to a duel and had ended up paralyzed for the remainder of the trip. The boy had remained in that state until Elizabeth released him and had spent a bit of time with a nose that was painful from landing face first on the floor.

There was no chance of that this term, however. After being disciplined at the end of the last term for his part in a plot which could have led to the death of another student the boy had decided not to return to school. He had, or so he had so vehemently stated, learned enough that there was no need to come back. He could learn anything that he needed to from his father or grandparents. Elizabeth actually felt very sorry for him as she knew that he had to be grieving for his mother.

 _‘Dragon Pox, I pray that no one that I know or love ever has to deal with it,’_ she thought to herself.

She opened the door to the Slytherin car and found that not much had changed here. Venomous stares greeted her, but they paled in comparison to the greeting presented by Scorpius’ cousin Alexis, who rushed forward to block the progress of the older girl.

“What you doing here, Blackwell? Did the mighty Gryffindor lose her way and wander some place where she knows that she’s not welcome?”

“Alexis,” Elizabeth began after taking a deep breath, you’re very fortunate that I’m not in a bad mood. Otherwise, if I were, Slytherin might start the new term with a deficit in points again. As it is, I’m just doing my rounds and have no desire to debate with you.”

“So, you’re afraid that you would lose if we did, aren’t you?”

The smaller girl fluffed up a bit as she stretched to her full height in an attempt to intimidate Elizabeth. The attempt wasn’t successful and the mood didn’t last long when Elizabeth responded.

“No, Alexis, that’s not it at all. I just feel that debating with you would be rather like dropping this train on a Flobber Worm, a lot of overkill for not a lot of satisfaction. You haven’t learned yet that if only you would think before opening your mouth people might consider what you have to say valuable. As it is all that you can manage is a lot of bluster!”

Alexis felt her jaw drop as the insult that she had been dealt brought gasps from the other Slytherin who had gathered around them to watch. The girl, uncertain about what to say next, suddenly drew more attention to herself by reaching into her robes where her searching fingers found her wand. This did not go unnoticed by the other Slytherin or Elizabeth, who suddenly cleared her throat before speaking again.

“Are you really sure that you want to do that? I really don’t want to not only beat you in a duel, but also have you expelled permanently for attacking a Prefect. Alexis, I really wish that we could just get along because this doesn’t do either of us any good. Can’t we just forget about this arguing and just go to school without conflict?”

The comment brought more gasps from the gathered students as they watched the confrontation. None of them had ever expected this sort of response from the Prefect that many of them had had harsh dealings with in the past.

For her part, Alexis wasn’t certain just how to respond to what had just been said to her. Thoughts ran through her mind as her hand withdrew from her robes and she nodded numbly. Elizabeth smiled at the progress and then turned to leave the car while the students within it gaped in astonishment at what had just occurred in front of them.

Elizabeth made another stop just after leaving the car to buy a treat from the trolley pushed by the ancient witch. She chewed happily on the Licorice Wand while making her way towards the car occupied by Hufflepuff students. As she opened the door to the car her ears were assailed by enthusiastic shouts of encouragement.

The crowd gathered around the door to a compartment offered a clue to the location of the disturbance. She pushed her way through the crowd, ignoring the initial glares of irritation what changed to fear when it was realized that another Prefect had arrived on the scene to deal with what was transpiring. A younger Prefect had been attempting to break up the disagreement vocally and having little luck with it. She backed away when she recognized the older girl and stood meekly while the situation progressed.

The sixth year Prefect stepped forward into the compartment while the spectators scattered in the hope that she hadn’t gotten a good enough look at them to identify them. While they may have escaped the pair of first year boys who were fighting on the floor was not so fortunate. She reached down to seize the arm of the boy on top and pull him away from the other boy only to have him round on her in anger. He was about to lash out at her when he noticed the badge on her robes. Immediately the fight went out of both he and his fellow combatant and they were silent as she addressed them.

“This is not the sort of behavior that we permit or tolerate at Hogwarts or here on the Hogwarts Express. I don’t care who started it, I don’t care what started it but once you have been sorted your House will lose twenty points which means that they begin the term with a deficit. Can we ride the rest of the way to school without further problems?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” both boys answered as they gazed at the floor of the compartment.

“Good, because if I find out about any more problems with you two there won’t be any need to get off of the train. Professor Leeds will send you right back to King’s Cross without a second thought.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Now, we only have about an hour before we arrived at Hogsmeade, I suggest that you change into your robes. It wouldn’t do for you to walk into the Sorting Ceremony dressed in those clothes!”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Elizabeth started to walk away and then stopped to turn back to the pair.

“Please forget the Ma’am if you would. My name is Elizabeth and I much prefer that it be used.”

Both boys nodded and then watched as she turned once again to walk down the companionway and then out of the car while the younger Prefect stood silently.

‘ _Obviously,’_ she thought, _‘I have a lot to learn about this job.’_

The scene now behind her, Elizabeth hurried to find her friends in the Gryffindor car. The task was not particularly hard for the pair sat in a compartment talking with several other students from their House. All looked up as the Prefect stepped into the doorway.

“I should have known that I would find all of you conspirators together,” she announced as she tried to display an anger filled countenance while she spoke to them. The reaction displayed in response to her attempts at feigned anger was poor attempts to not laugh and the compartment was soon filled with the laughter of all of them.

She settled down into an empty seat in the compartment and immediately felt at home. Her friends were here and her presence was more than welcomed as she joined into the conversation.

“Have you been to the Slytherin car yet?”

The question, coming from Lily, brought her back to the present and she nodded before stunning all present.

“I actually got out of there without taking points from them.”

“You mean that my sister behaved herself for once?”

“I didn’t say that,” she responded to Ariel. “She tried really hard to get the House into a lot of trouble but didn’t know how to respond to kindness. She was still speechless when I walked out of the compartment.”

The group of girls within the compartment laughed once again before Elizabeth continued.

“The new female Prefect from Ravenclaw is in for trouble if she doesn’t show others that she’s not afraid to act.”

“What happened?”

“She tried to break up a fight by yelling at the people who were fighting. There was so much noise that no one could hear her and she wouldn’t step up to break up the fight. She looked almost afraid to deal with it.”

“She won’t last long if she can’t do what she needs to! Professor Leeds will take her badge in an instant and find someone else to be the Prefect.”

Elizabeth looked at Lily once again and then rose to step out of the compartment.

“Lily, can I talk to you for a moment?”

The other girl nodded and then rose while the others in the compartment continued with their conversation. The pair of sixth year girls walked to a quiet area of the car where they sat down to talk.

“Elizabeth, I know what you want to say and I meant what I said. I was glad to be a Prefect temporarily, but you’re back and the badge belongs to you. I had enough headaches while I wore it, I don’t want anymore.”

“Are you certain?”

“Elizabeth, you’re my best friend and I would never lie to you. I don’t want to be a Prefect again, there’s too much drama involved. You also don’t make many friends doing that job.”

“Okay, but remember, if you ever want it back just ask.”

“Don’t hold your breath, Elizabeth. I may have wanted it once before, but not now.”

The girls hugged and then rose to walk away with Elizabeth continuing on her rounds. She wondered about Meredith Weasley, as she had yet to see or hear the girl and doubted very much that she was on the train. She knew that the girl had gotten into a great deal of trouble at home over her part in the plot the term before and wondered if Meredith’s parents had decided to send her elsewhere to study.

She reached the end of the train and began her return trip to the Prefect’s car where she knew Tiger waited. They would arrive at the platform in Hogsmeade soon and she wanted to gather her things in in preparation for them to be transported to the castle by the elves.

Try as she might, the girl couldn’t keep the promise that she had made to others for herself. While many had put Gabriel Koeppler out of their minds she knew that she could never do so. It was true that she had managed to defeat and destroy the ancient wizard, but she knew that he would likely haunt her for the rest of her life.

Her compartment appeared before her and she opened the door to step into the space. Tiger sat patiently on one of the seats while he waited for attention from his owner. She settled down onto the seat next to the cat and ran her hand over his long fur while he purred and rubbed against her lovingly. He climbed into her arms and she buried her nose into his fur while they enjoyed each other’s presence. The girl gently kissed the animal before he lifted his head to brush the top of it against her face.

She must have drifted off to sleep because it was not long before she was being shaken to wake her. The male Prefect from her House was shaking her gently.

“Elizabeth, we’ve arrived at Hogsmeade and have to get ready for platform duty.”

The girl nodded and then, after planting a kiss on the top of the head of the cat, placed Tiger back into his cage and then locked the door behind him. He would be in her dorm room when she arrived and she felt certain of his safety. The young witch hurried to her assigned door and waited for the platform to quit moving past her. The movement outside finally ended and she pushed the door in front of her open before stepping out onto the platform and holding it open for the students who were beginning to file out.

She marveled at the memory of her own first steps out onto this platform as she heard the booming voice of Hagrid calling for the indicated students to assemble. She knew that soon those students would be soon riding the boats across the lake to the castle while the older students would ride the carriages than many thought were drawn by nothing save magic. She knew this not to be true for she had seen what drew the vehicles and she knew why she could see them, she had seen death.

When the train had finally emptied, Elizabeth pushed the door that she held closed and then walked away to join the other Prefects as they prepared to board carriages. She smiled at Edward Parkins, the male Prefect for her House, as he helped her into the carriage and quietly took her seat as he climbed aboard. Their carriage was soon moving up the winding road towards the castle that was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

She sat in her seat while she admired the image that the lights of the castle were reflecting in the lake. It was not the first time that she had been taken in by the beauty of what she was seeing and she knew that it would not be the last. A voice speaking her name called her out of her thoughts and she roused to see Emily Baker, the new Prefect that she had assisted, trying to get her attention.

“Elizabeth, I just wanted to thank you for helping me with that fight on the train.”

“Don’t mention it, Emily. Just don’t be afraid to call for help if you need it.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Elizabeth nodded and then turned her attention to the nearing castle and back to the boats that were still crossing the lake. The older students would be seated in the Great Hall before the first years entered and those memories were still frightening. She could still see the scene when she had entered for the first time and faced the multitude of eyes that seemed to be focused only on her. Then she had faced the Sorting Hat and the terror that she had felt at possibly being sorted into Slytherin. Thankfully she had been sent to the Gryffindor table and her friends.

When she arrived at the Great Hall she hurried to meet with Lily and Beatrice to walk to their customary places. Even though she was sitting in her normal spot Elizabeth was saddened, for she missed her absent friends and knew that things would never be the same at Hogwarts. She glanced down at the ring that Albus had given her as a promise and lifted it to her lips where she kissed it tenderly.

“I miss you, Albus.”

They had no sooner settled into their places when the doors opened and Professor McGonagall entered leading the terrified new first years. Elizabeth watched silently as a single thought went through her mind.

“Here we go again!”

For some reason, as she watched the new students file to the front of the Great Hall, a strange emotion filled her and she couldn’t explain what it was or why she felt it. All that she knew was that she felt as though something was missing and she wondered what she was going to say good-bye to.


	2. As We Begin a New Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new year as always brings new students, but one of those new students presents a surprise for Elizabeth.

The gathered students watched as the group of first year students, and there seemed to be more than usual, followed Professor McGonagall to the place where they would gather and wait for their turn to be sorted. Here and there, many of the older students noticed, were obvious younger siblings of students that were either currently present or had been recently.

Elizabeth could only think about the fact that she had no younger siblings and therefore no one would ever compare one of the new students to her. She had been the younger sibling of a student at Beauxbatons and it had not been a pleasant experience in the least. Anne had been busy telling everyone that she knew at the school, and even a few people that she didn’t know, about the horrid little sister of hers that was coming to study at the school.

By the time that Elizabeth started school nearly everyone in the place, including staff, already had an opinion about her and many of those opinions were not favorable at all. Elizabeth remembered realizing that school was going to be difficult at best if not impossible to survive. After that, the battles had begun and the girl had known that she had no chance of winning the war.

Finally she had been expelled and had ended up at Hogwarts. It was here that she had rapidly demonstrated her qualities and had excelled beyond anything that the staff at Beauxbatons had ever expected that she could. She had no doubt that, had she remained at Beauxbatons, that she would never have even dreamed of achieving what she had or wear the responsibility that she carried as a Prefect.

Finally Professor Leeds rose and then walked to the lectern where he waited for the excited chatter from the tables to end. Expectant students ended their conversations and looked up at the patiently waiting headmaster.

“As we begin a new year here at Hogwarts I look out upon you all and see, as I do at the start of every term, missing faces. This both saddens me while at the same time brings me joy, for each missing face represents a student that has finished his or her studies and has gone out into our world to begin their post-school life. While we shall miss them we can rejoice in the fact that they have found success and that they are never truly gone, for they dwell within the hearts and minds of all of us.”

“In normal Hogwarts fashion, we have yet another class of first years for you older students to guide just as surely as if you were professors and staff. This is because, although you do not teach a class, each and every one of you is a teacher in some way. Without the guidance of older students the new students could not hope to succeed.”

“But enough of my chatter, for the Sorting Hat has been working on its song for this night and I am certain that you are all just as interested in this term’s version as I am.”

The gathered students watched as Professor Leeds returned to his chair and Professor McGonagall sat the stool, which they had all occupied at one time, onto the raised area in front of the High Table. The ancient hat, which they had all worn sat silently for a moment and then stirred as it seemed to stretch before starting to sing.

 _As we begin a brand new year,_  
_I’ll do my job without much fear._  
_You’ll do your studies all year long,_  
_once I decide where you belong._

 _My job is not the easiest,_  
_as working never is._  
_Sit on that chair and blankly stare,_  
_while your brain I swiftly quiz._

 _Into some House you must go,_  
_and right now which you do not know._  
_But we’ll begin and each House will win,_  
_so let the Sorting flow!_

 _Should you belong in Gryffindor,_  
_You believe in bravery and so much more._  
_If being true is meant for you,_  
_You want to see that door!_

 _If hard work is what you enjoy,_  
_You’re a Hufflepuff girl or boy._  
_Your extra toil is no foil;_  
_They’ll hear your name with joy._

 _If you excel with your brain,_  
_It makes it easier for you to train._  
_In Rowena’s House, be no mouse,_  
_And let your knowledge gain._

 _There was a man named Salazar,_  
_To him some students were bright stars._  
_A student’s guile would make him smile,_  
_His students would go far!_

 _Now you’ll learn here at this school,_  
_Please study hard and be no fool._  
_Let them place me on your head,_  
_But do not fill your heart with dread._

 _Now I work to end this song,_  
_I do not try to make them long._  
_Soon you will know where you shall go,_  
_So sit right down and Talley-Ho!_

The older students applauded the end of the song while the many of the first years looked at each other in puzzlement. Obviously they had never seen a talking, much less a singing, hat before and were wondering what was going to happen next. Then Professor McGonagall reached into the pocket of her robes to withdraw the rolled parchment that held the names of the new arrivals.

“As I call your names, please come up and sit upon this stool to be sorted.”

“Mallory Cramer!”

All watched as the clearly nervous young girl stepped forward hesitantly and then took her seat upon the stool. The girl glanced upward as the hat was placed upon her head and seemed nearly ready to bolt as the Sorting Hat mumbled something that could not be heard clearly to anyone except the girl and Professor McGonagall. Abruptly it shouted out a decision which clearly made the girl happy.

“HUFFLEPUFF!”

The clearly relieved girl rose once the hat was removed and hurried to the waiting table. A moment later, one of the boys that had been fighting on the train was called to the stool to be sorted.

“William Parker!”

The boy hurried to take his place and a short time later Gryffindor had a new member and twenty fewer points. A gasp from several students as the glowing numbers appeared over the hourglass told Elizabeth that her decision had had consequences. She shook her head but tried to smile as the boy took his place at the Gryffindor table, a broad smile on his face. The smile faded as he realized that the Prefect that had dealt with him on the train was sitting at the very same table. He swallowed hard and then turned his attention to the proceedings.

 _‘I hope that the other boy doesn’t end up here,'_ Elizabeth thought to herself, _'or we’ll be down forty points before the term even begins.'_

Elizabeth watched as the students all took their places at the various tables yet she also looked around in confusion as she tried to find Meredith Weasley. The girl was nowhere to be seen and she wondered once again if the parents of the girl, still stinging from the events of the previous term, had decided to teach the child at home or had sent her elsewhere to study.

“James Parker!”

The name caught her attention and she looked back up at the front of the room to see the other combatant from the train take his place on the stool. A horrible notion came to her mind and she realized that she was looking at William’s brother, his twin. The appearance was much too great for him to be anyone else. On the train she had not taken the time to get a very good look at him and now she knew where the hat was going to place him.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

The students watched as the boy followed his brother and the other new Gryffindors to their table and Elizabeth glanced up at the hourglass to see the glowing minus twenty become a minus forty. Irritated whispers from her table told her that the news was not welcome to them although the Slytherin table was having a wonderful time with it and clapping loudly.

“Sorry, everyone, I didn’t know that they were both going to be sent to Gryffindor,” she told the students around her.

The few remaining students waiting to be sorted watched as yet another of their number was sent to Slytherin and it was then that Elizabeth noticed a young girl among the first years that reminded her of someone, herself! She watched in amazement as the girl, who could have passed for a much younger Elizabeth, waited for her turn.

“Victoria Beales-Armstrong!”

Elizabeth never saw the girl walk up to take her place, never saw the hat placed on the head of the child or heard her be sent to Gryffindor. In fact, she never heard the screams as people watched her crumple to the floor in a dead faint; instead she knew nothing at all. People would leave their places to rush to her aid, the negative forty points forgotten as they laid her gently the rest of the way onto the floor while they waited for the hospital personnel to get to her side.

When things began to make sense to the girl once again she realized that she was in a bed in the Hospital Wing with Lily, Beatrice, Ariel and Hugo standing next to it. They were all looking down at her as she began to revive and she looked around in confusion.

“What happened?”

“You fainted!” Lily answered. “You fainted and fell off of the bench partway, which accounts for the bump that you have on the back of your head from hitting the floor. One thing about you, Elizabeth, you know how to bring the Sorting Ceremony to an abrupt halt. Everything got put on hold while they hurried to help you.”

“You never even got to hear where everyone went,” Hugo added.”

“The girl, the one that Professor McGonagall called right before it happened…”

“Do you mean Victoria? The one that looks enough like you that she could be your sister, is that who you mean?”

“What House did she go to?”

“Well,” Lily responded, “the Sorting Hat had a terrible time with her. It was mumbling and seemed really confused and finally said something really strange before sending her to Gryffindor.”

“What did it say?”

The group looked at each other for a moment as though they weren’t certain that they wanted to divulge what they knew to the Prefect lying in the hospital bed.

“What did it say?” Elizabeth repeated.

It was Beatrice that answered the question the Elizabeth had posed.

“Elizabeth, it said that it might as well send her to the same House as her older sister.”

“Everyone was really confused and was asking who her older sister was but no one knew. Do you know?”

Elizabeth thought back to the conversations that she had had with her mother and Professor McGonagall in which the identity of her father had been revealed. The idea of it all was terrifying to her and she wondered how it had all come to this. Finally, as tears left her eyes to begin the trip down her cheeks she responded by nodding silently.

“Who is it, Elizabeth? Who is her older sister?”

“Her older sister is _me_!”

“But I thought…”

“That I only had the one sibling, Anne,” Elizabeth said as she finished Lily’s sentence.

“Yes.”

“So did I, but evidently I was wrong. “

“But how, I mean, your last names are different.”

“My dad isn’t my real father; my real father’s name was Marcus Beales-Armstrong. My dad just agreed to raise me as his own daughter and gave me his last name. I didn’t find out myself until a couple of years ago. I guess that my birth father isn’t a very nice person.”

“Elizabeth, you need to talk to Professor McGonagall and have her moved to another House.”

“Why?”

“Have you ever met your father?”

“We’ve never met, I don’t even know if he knows that I exist. As far as I know he has never even seen my mother since they did you know what.”

Lily thought about what her friend was saying while at the same time thinking about her own parents. She had met her father in fact she had never known a day, unless he was working, that she couldn’t reach out to him even from the distance that her school at Hogwarts represented. It seemed strange that a man would not be available to his daughter, that he had never even met her. The situation seemed so alien to the girl that she had a hard time grasping it.

“Are you okay, Elizabeth?”

“I’m fine, but my head really hurts.”

“That is why I am bringing you this,” a voice announced from behind her friends. They turned to see the nurse approaching rapidly with a glass of water in one hand and a bottle in the other. They all shuddered as they realized which bottle she held and hurried to say good-bye to their friend. Elizabeth glanced at the bottle and understood their haste in departing. Pain-B-Gone was terrible tasting and certain to bring shudders to the student unlucky enough to have to endure it.

“I know that you don’t want to take this, but it is for your own good, Miss Blackwell.”

“Can’t you just use a charm to fix it? I would really prefer it to having to choke that down.”

“Nonsense, the curing charm doesn’t fix everything and this one dose shall eliminate the possibility of having to come back.”

Elizabeth watched as the nurse poured some of the bright purple liquid into the glass of water and then as it seemed to stir itself. A light fizz appeared in the liquid and the girl was reminded of the times when her own mother had forced her to take the medicine.

“This is a lot better for you than taking a Muggle aspirin, Elizabeth. You would have to take a bottle of them to do what this one glass of Pain-B-Gone will do for you. There you go,” the witch said as the fizz died away, the liquid turned neon green and she handed the glass to her patient.

Elizabeth grimaced as she accepted the glass and the liquid which had attained the consistency of soup. She looked up at the nurse with pleading eyes and found the glance met with the firm gaze of the older witch.

“Down with it, Elizabeth, or more you’ll get.”

While she tried to figure out how to hold her breath while gulping down the liquid in one gulp, something that never worked, she decided that it was no use and finally opened her mouth while bringing the glass to her lips as she prepared for what was coming. An instant later the liquid within the glass seemed to leap into her mouth and fight its way down her throat to her stomach. A terrible sensation rolled over her and she felt as though she was about to vomit, but she knew that she wouldn’t because the Pain-B-Gone wouldn’t allow it. She was stuck with the terrible sensation until the work of the medicine was done. The girl settled back into the bed while the nurse examined the glass and was satisfied with what she was seeing.

“Now, get some sleep, Elizabeth, because I won’t be allowing your friends to disturb you again. If I find them in here I will give them a dose of Pain-B-Gone to match yours.”

“But why do that if they’re not sick?”

“Everyone has something wrong with them and this potion will deal with it wonderfully.”

Elizabeth settled down into bed and relaxed as she felt the one wonderful thing about Pain-B-Gone take effect. She was soon fast asleep and beyond thinking about Victoria Beales-Armstrong or the father that they shared.

She woke the next morning to see a breakfast appear on the table next to her bed and she dug into it with gusto. The lump on the back of her head was gone and she felt much better than she had the night before. The breakfast vanished down her throat almost as swiftly as the Pain-B-gone had, although it tasted much better, and she was soon sitting up as she waited to be released. The bells in the Clock Tower told her that she was already late for Potions and she hoped that she wasn’t going to miss anything important. Her robes hung from the divider around her bed, clearly freshly cleaned, and she wondered when the nurse would reappear.

As if on cue, the older witch appeared as the breakfast tray vanished and the nurse looked carefully at her patient.

“You look well enough to leave, Miss Blackwell, if you want you may use the bathing facilities here in the hospital.”

Elizabeth nodded and then rose from the bed to gather her clothing before rushing to the indicated door where she found the shower waiting. The warm water was soon coursing down over her and she felt her muscles relax while she bathed and washed her hair. The end of the comfort would come soon enough and she was finally stepping out of the shower to dry off and then get dressed. Her hair was soon in her customary ponytail and she gathered her books, which had appeared on the table during her shower courtesy of one of the elves, before hurrying out of the room to walk to class. A glance over her shoulder told her that the clothing that she had slept in had vanished and she knew that they would be in her dorm cabinet when she finished classes for the day.

She knew that her friends had no doubt taken care of Tiger because they loved him as much as she did, and she was able to put his needs out of her mind for the moment. The revelation about the possibility that her sister was at Hogwarts was foremost in her mind and she intended to get to the bottom of it.

The door to the Potions room appeared before her and she reached forward to open it. She could hear the drone of Professor Tindwell as he spoke to the sixth years in his class and finally opened the door to gain admittance to the room. Several pairs of eyes rose to watch her as she stepped into the room and she hurried to find a seat among her classmates.

“Now, as I was saying before Miss Blackwell entered, because this is a sixth year class I have no problem with introducing some rather hazardous potions to you. These are potions so dangerous that I would not teach them before now and, should any of you decide to show the tiniest inclination towards distraction, I will not hesitate to expel you from this room and fail you for the term!”

“You can’t fail someone for the term on the very first day of the term!”

All eyes turned towards Amelia Branter, a Slytherin Prefect who had no problem with flaunting her authority.

“What did you say, Miss Branter?”

“I said that you can’t fail someone for the term on the very first day of the term, Professor Tindwell. It’s not fair and I shall complain to Professor Leeds and my parents should you try! Do not forget that my mother…”

“Works in the Ministry, yes, I know that very well. I also know that you have only five years of experience brewing potions and never anything like what we are going to be doing this term. I also know that I am the one that is teaching this class and that you, despite the Prefect’s badge that you are so proud of, are still a student and therefore have no say in how this class is taught. I also know that, despite that badge, that you are able to lose points for you House because of your cheek in class. What I do not know is how many points your House will allow you to lose for them because you wish to not only speak out of turn, but also in a very disrespectful manner to a staff member.”

“I was merely saying…” the girl answered as her face flushed red.

“You were saying that I have no authority in a classroom in which I have taught since before your birth! I taught both of your parents and they both at least had the common sense to know when to be seen and not heard! Twenty points shall be taken from Slytherin House for your lack of respect to a staff member and I shall bring into question, with Professor Leeds, your suitability in the post of Prefect!”

The girl sank back into her seat with the wind clearly taken out of her sails. Professor Tindwell looked at the remainder of his class with anger clear on his face.

“Does anyone else wish to challenge my authority in this room?”

When there was no response the aging professor looked back down at his notes before speaking again.

“Now, as I was saying before I was interrupted, the potions that we shall be dealing with this term are so dangerous that horseplay or inattention shall be dealt with harshly. I shall not have injuries or worse in my classroom and am fully prepared to send you out of this room permanently at my discretion. I need you to move to your workstations and open your books to page twelve to begin preparing the indicated potion. Bear in mind that this potion is a component of a much larger preparation and, should you get this one wrong, there is no chance that the potion that it helps to create shall be correct.”

Elizabeth hurried to her workstation and was soon examining, with growing dread, the potion that they were preparing. The final product was highly toxic, although only by ingestion, and extreme care needed to be taken in its preparation. It had the appearance of water when done correctly, being gold in color during its manufacture. The needed materials were neatly arrayed before her and she picked up the first flask of liquid to pour it into her cauldron. The instructions told her not to let it splash for bubbles would have an immediate adverse effect and she hurried to lift a glass rod to pour it down.

As she and the class worked the time seemed to fly by and it was not long before the professor was walking around the room to examine the work of his students.

“Excellent, all cauldrons are showing the correct mixture as the color is superb. Once you have reached this point it is time to introduce the final ingredient. Pick up the final vial and once again, avoiding bubbles; pour the liquid down your glass rod and into the cauldron slowly. Do not rush this introduction or stir your potion for it shall do the work for you.

Elizabeth watched as the blue liquid ran down the glass rod and then as the liquid seemed to coagulate as it hit the hot potion. She was about to panic when the voice of the professor spoke from behind her.

“Relax, Miss Blackwell, watch what it does next.”

The girl watched as the lump of material sank into the potion and then as the potion turned clear. It rippled gently as though something living were within it before settling down to stillness.

“You may decant it into the flask now, but use caution for it is extremely hot.”

She and several other students were already donning their gloves and it was not long before several cauldrons were empty. The former contents now rested safely within the flasks that were labeled with the names of their respective students.

“Once you have decanted your potion into the flasks place those flasks on the shelves with your year on it. I need you all to use caution, for those flasks are fragile right now and will break easily.”

The flasks belonging to the students were soon resting safely on the shelves and the students themselves were hurrying out of the room after receiving the reading instructions for the next day. Elizabeth made her way to the next class, Herbology, with her friends while they talked among themselves. Abruptly, Elizabeth changed the subject as she turned to Lily with a question.

“Lily, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“What?”

“Didn’t Meredith come back to Hogwarts this term?”

Lily was about to answer when a screech sounded and they could hear the sound of the girl in question as she screamed at someone that they could not see. Elizabeth hurried towards the sound of the disturbance just as her friend answered the question.

“Yes.”


	3. An Owl Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changes are made in the status of students and Elizabeth's curiosity grows.

Elizabeth hurried around the corner that she had been approaching with Lily just in time to hear the sound of flesh against flesh as a slap was delivered. A crowd was already gathering as the argument prepared to escalate into a fight and the girl who had been slapped retaliated with her own strike as she waded into the conflict.

Meredith Weasley, who was nothing like the rest of her family, prepared to meet the charge of the girl that she had hit and took the returning strike across the cheek just as Elizabeth arrived with her wand drawn. Neither girl was prepared for what happened next.

_“Petrificus Totalus!”_

The effect was instantaneous as both girls suddenly snapped board straight and then fell to the floor of the corridor. Elizabeth, uncertain about what had just happened, turned to see who had also cast the curse at the pair and was surprised to see a wand in Lily’s hand. The crowd scattered as Elizabeth stepped over the pair of petrified girls to speak to her friend.

“Are you certain that you don’t want one of these?” she asked as she indicated her badge.

“Maybe, I just don’t want to have it if I have to take it from you.”

“However you have to get it, I’m in! That was brilliant!”

A male Prefect from Hufflepuff arrived to help them herd the pair to the office of the Professor Leeds and the trip was swift, despite the howls of protest from Meredith. She, like the other girl, had been revived and were both claiming that the other had started the problem. The main difference was that, while the girl from Ravenclaw had calmed down considerably, Meredith was thoroughly wound up and ready to continue the fight.

“You had no right to petrify me, Elizabeth Blackwell!”

“She didn’t, I did!” Lily answered.

”You’re not a Prefect, you can’t do that! I’ll have the Ministry of Magic on you so fast you’ll wish that you were being chased by a dragon.”

“Meredith,” Elizabeth answered, “will you just shut up! You didn’t impress me when you were doing this as a first year and you definitely don’t impress me as a second year! Lily did what she needed to do and I will stand behind it, regardless of what you think. Don’t forget that Lily was a Prefect last term and therefore can serve as such if she believes that she needs to. But, until we get to Professor Leeds’ office I don’t want to hear anything more from you or I will place a bind on your mouth!”

Meredith stopped talking so fast that the Hufflepuff Prefect wondered if his female counterpart hadn’t done what she had threatened to do. The mystery was solved when they arrived at the office of Tobias Leeds and immediately the girl began to scream out her rage once again.

“I want them expelled, Professor Leeds,” she screamed as she pointed towards Elizabeth and Lily. “Lily petrified me in the corridor, which means that she drew her wand in the school when she didn’t have the right to and she,” the girl continued as she pointed at Elizabeth, “threatened to bind my mouth!”

“Miss Weasley, no one is going to be expelled, not you, not this other young lady and certainly not Miss Blackwell or Miss Potter. It is my understanding that there was a fight preparing to begin and that you struck Miss Hafner, is that correct?”

“She hit me too.”

“After you struck her, am I correct?”

“But she hit me too,” the girl whined.

“Did you strike her first, Miss Weasley?”

“Yes!”

“Very well, I am going to send you both on your ways after I take fifty points from each of you for fighting. But I am also going to take twenty points from you, Miss Weasley, for throwing the first blow.”

“What about Blackwell and Potter?” Meredith continued as she pointed at Lily and Elizabeth. “What are you going to do to them?”

“Nothing, Miss Weasley, I am going to do absolutely nothing to Miss Potter or Miss Blackwell. Miss Blackwell was doing her job as a Prefect and Miss Weasley was assisting her.”

“I should have known that they would get away with it, your pair of favorites!”

“Be cautious with your words, Miss Weasley, I can be pushed too far even this early in the term. Now, I want you both to go to class and I want nothing more out of either of you.”

The pair, escorted by the Hufflepuff Prefect, walked out of the room and was soon on their way to class. Elizabeth and Lily remained where they stood while they waited for the headmaster to continue.

“I take it that the two of you have something to say,” Professor Leeds responded as he realized that Elizabeth had a request. “Something is on your mind, Miss Blackwell, and I would be most interested in hearing what you have to say.”

“Yes, sir, Professor Leeds, I do.”

“By all means, Miss Blackwell, you have never been at a loss for words before so please do not start now.”

“Professor, I think that Lily would make a wonderful Prefect and that she should be given a chance at the post again.”

“Miss Blackwell, you know very well that what you are asking is impossible. There can only be three female Prefects for each House. Miss Potter would make that number four, which would be unfair to the other Houses.”

“But, sir, have you forgotten that Betsy McClavin left Hogwarts to go to Beauxbatons? That means that we have only two female Prefects.”

“Miss McClavin would have been a seventh year, Miss Blackwell. I cannot put a sixth year in the spot that should be occupied by a senior student.”

“Professor, am I correct in assuming that if a student has assumed the spot of Teaching Assistant to a professor that they cannot hold the post of Prefect?”

“That is normally the case, Miss Blackwell, why?”

“I ask you this because Professor McGonagall asked me last term if I would consider the post and I have decided to accept it.”

“Miss Blackwell, what you are suggesting is quite correct, but do you understand the ramifications of your decision? If you give up your post as a Prefect willingly, you can never hold it again unless a female Prefect relinquishes her badge to you? Is this what you truly want?”

“Professor, Professor McGonagall has asked me if I would succeed her when she retires and I have said that I would. This means that I need to have some teaching experience before I assume the duties of a full professor. I cannot do both, be a Prefect and a Teaching Assistant, at the same time so I respectfully resign my post as Hogwarts Prefect.”

The girl started to reach up to remove the pin from her robes but was stopped by the voice of the headmaster.

“Miss Blackwell, please keep that pin, it makes a wonderful addition to your collection. You will be gaining another, however, as you shall wear the pin reserved for a Teaching Assistant. This means that you can still issue discipline and may assist Professor McGonagall in her duties, but does not give you any privileges as a staff member. Do you understand this?”

“Yes, Professor Leeds.”

You do understand that, having resigned as a Prefect, you can never hold the position of Prefect again unless it is relinquished to you.”

“Yes, Professor Leeds, I understand.”

“Very well, Miss Blackwell, you are released from your duties as a Prefect at Hogwarts. Miss Potter,” Tobias Leeds said as he turned to Lily, “as Miss Blackwell has resigned from the duties of an office which you held last term you are the first person that I must offer this to. Will you accept the offered post of Hogwarts Prefect and the duties and responsibilities that it represents?”

“Elizabeth, are you sure about this?”

Elizabeth looked into the uncertain eyes of her best friend and then nodded.

“Yes, Lily, I am very certain.”

Lily turned back to Professor Leeds and then answered the question that she had been asked.

“Yes, Professor Leeds, I accept the post of Hogwarts Prefect with all of the duties and responsibilities that it represents.”

Elizabeth watched as a pin which Leeds had pulled from his desk was pinned to her friend’s robes and Lily beamed with glee. Then she turned back to Professor Leeds, who had drawn another pin out of his desk.

“Miss Blackwell, this pin designates you as a Hogwarts Teaching Assistant. It gives you all of the duties and responsibilities of that post but _none_ of the rights of a full professor. You may still issue discipline and teach classes under the guidance of Professor McGonagall, but you may _not_ represent yourself as a Hogwarts Professor. Your progress in this position shall be reported to me and this post may be withdrawn should your own studies begin to fail. Do you understand this, Miss Blackwell?”

“Yes, Professor Leeds, I understand this.”

Elizabeth watched as the headmaster attached the pin to her robes and then smiled brightly.

“Very well, ladies, I congratulate you both on your new posts. I know that I can expect great things from both of you.”

The girls walked out of the office nearly giddy with what had happened and it did not take long for passing students to notice the shining new pins on the robes of the pair. Many gawked at the young witches while others made no secret of their displeasure at the developments. They walked into Herbology to find Professor Longbottom involved in having his class repot Amazonian Red-Leafed Serpenticular seedlings. All around the greenhouses, students wearing gloves were busy placing the small plants into larger pots while they tried to avoid contact with the wildly waving tentacles of the plants.

Neville Longbottom watched as the pair walked into his class and did not take long to notice the new pins on their robes. A new Prefect was nothing unusual, but the Teaching Assistant pin on Elizabeth’s robes caught his attention.

“Elizabeth, I can’t say that this surprises me, but when did you become a teaching assistant?”

“Right before I left Professor Leeds’ office a few minutes ago.”

“Well, congratulations to both of you! I know that you both will do excellent in your new jobs!”

The girls hurried to their workstations and were soon busy repotting the small wriggling plants. As they worked they talked quietly, a practice interrupted only when a girl suddenly shrieked and they looked to see a Ravenclaw student covered with small red dots that began to ooze immediately. Longbottom called out to the girl as she continued to wail as the dots spread in number.

“Miss Grant, you shall need to go to the Hospital Wing and have those tended to.”

Beatrice managed to sidle over to her friends as she worked and was soon engaging in conversation with them.

“Lily, when did you become a Prefect? I knew that you were one last term, but I thought that you had given the back to Elizabeth.”

“I had, but she insisted that I take it back. Then she got named a teaching assistant by Professor Leeds to assist Professor McGonagall.”

“You’re the new Teaching Assistant, Elizabeth? I heard that Professor McGonagall had her eye on a sixth year for an assistant but I had forgotten that you were doing something like that last term.”

“I was, but you can’t be a Teaching Assistant and a Prefect at the same time, at least not officially.”

“Does this stop you from becoming Head Girl next term?”

“Nope! That I can still become if the professors decide that they want me there. I don’t ask for much, but that is one thing that I would campaign for.”

As the class progressed several students from different Houses noticed the different pins on the robes of the pair of girls. The badge that designated Lily as a Prefect was bad enough, but it was the pin that conferred the rank of Teaching Assistant to Elizabeth that raised their ire.

Several Slytherin students were at a neighboring table potting plants while they spoke back and forth.

“Potter as a Prefect is bad enough, but to give Blackwell the position of Teaching Assistant is more than I can stand! Now she’ll flounce around acting like a professor and telling people what to do. I won’t listen to her, not one bit!”

“She’ll probably run crying to Leeds when you do and then you’ll be in real trouble.”

“It’s not like I care about it! Elizabeth Blackwell is a crybaby who gets her way any time that she wants!”

“You know that everyone believes the story about what happened to her last term when she disappeared. Just like when she vanished when LeBlanc was here and everyone thought that she was dead. She was hiding out somewhere and probably watching everyone go crazy looking for her.”

“I should call her out on it! Make her tell the truth for once instead of letting her have the pleasure of getting Slytherins expelled. You know that she’s the reason that Scorpius Malfoy didn’t come back this term and why Alexis almost didn’t. She does whatever she wants and gets away with it no matter how bad it is. They even let her worm her way out of that last term when she attacked Reg Cramer during the ceremony.”

“She’s a worm alright; I just can’t wait until someone decides to step on her.”

The girls continued their conversation while they worked and, by the time that the class had ended, were furious with the new developments. Without Scorpius to coordinate their efforts they knew that they were in a less than perfect situation or position to mount an offensive against the girls from Gryffindor.

Lily, Beatrice and Elizabeth hurried out of the greenhouses as they walked towards Charms class. None of them really needed to take Charms as they had finished with high enough marks the previous term to bypass it. But the alternative was to take History of Magic and none of them wanted to have another term there with Professor Binns. While they all adored the professor, who was also a ghost, the class was guaranteed to solve sleeplessness and none of them had that problem.

Professor Flitwick, on the other hand, was one of their favorites and despite their stellar marks they wanted to continue what they had started. The tiny professor watched as the trio walked into the room and his eyes opened wide as he realized what the new pin on Elizabeth’s robes was.

“Congratulations, Miss Blackwell! I had heard that Professor McGonagall had a new Teaching Assistant and wondered who it was. You do realize that, given your marks last term, you do not have to be here. If you wish to assume your duties and report to her classroom instead of being here it will not offend me in the least.”

“Are you certain, Professor Flitwick?”

“Go! I wouldn’t want a new Teaching Assistant to be late for her first assignment.”

“Thank you,” she answered as she bent down to hug the tiny professor before leaving the classroom.

Elizabeth rushed through the corridors and was soon startled to hear a voice call out to her.

“Why aren’t you in class?”

She stopped and turned to see Amanda Freting, the seventh year Slytherin Prefect approaching her.

“I had heard that you weren’t a Prefect anymore and have been looking forward to taking points from you and Gyrffindor.”

“No, you’re right, I’m not a Prefect, I’m a Teaching Assistant and that means that I’m still your equal. Go run your mouth to someone that cares before I take points from you.”

Elizabeth turned on her heel and walked away towards the Transfiguration Classroom where she knew that the first years would be attending class. She arrived at the door and then reached down to turn the handle before stepping into the room. All heads turned in her direction as the first years expected one of their own to walk in late, and receive a dressing down. Instead of a cowed first year, they saw a sixth year with a number of pins on her robes and instantly knew that they were seeing the Teaching Assistant that Professor McGonagall had been talking about.

“Miss Blackwell, welcome to first year Transfiguration. As I recall, you did not sit in this room during your first year.”

“No, Ma’am, Professor McGonagall, I didn’t.”

“Class, I wish to introduce Miss Elizabeth Blackwell, she is a sixth year student and also my Teaching Assistant. Should she give you instructions you are to follow them and please remember that she can issue discipline and take points. She is a former Prefect and, as such, is trusted with her decisions should she have to make them.”

The boys that Elizabeth had dealt with on the Hogwarts Express sank down in their seats as she fixed them with a glare before she moved towards the front of the room. As she walked to the desk which had been provided for her she glanced at Victoria Beales-Armstrong and was surprised at the resemblance. The girl could only be her sister through a shared father. Abruptly the girl looked up from the copying that she was doing and their eyes met for a long moment. Elizabeth broke the exchange and looked down at the papers that were on her desk. The second years had already turned in an assignment and it needed to be reviewed before being marked.

As she worked she realized that the younger girl was continuing to look at her and she knew that eventually they would have to speak. The papers before her were filled with the common second year errors and she smiled as she remembered her own second year and the rats that they had transfigured into inkwells. The memories of her own pink rat with feathers and the one that Lily had turned blue brought a happy smile to her face, a smile which did not go unnoticed by students or professor.

“Is something amusing you, Miss Blackwell?”

“Only memories of a blue rat and a pink one with feathers my first class as a second year.”

The smile that Elizabeth had worn was echoed by Professor McGonagall as the vision of the wildly transfigured animals came to mind.

“Class, while we shall not be transfiguring rats for a while, bear in mind that even the most accomplished with Transfiguration can make mistakes as a beginning student. Miss Blackwell managed to produce a pink rat with feathers and, although it was rather attractive, it was not the inkwell that I asked for. Miss Blackwell is quite adept at Transfiguration now and I think that you are owed a demonstration of her abilities. Miss Blackwell, the bookshelf to your left, can you produce a dragonfly?”

Elizabeth looked at the indicated bookshelf and then rose as she drew her wand before waving it and speaking the incantation. Instantly a large dragonfly hung on the wall where the bookshelf had been. It fluttered into the air and then droned about the room until it finally landed, directed by Elizabeth’s wand, where it had started. A moment later, it was a bookshelf once again.

“The dragonfly that you just saw was not a true dragonfly!” Elizabeth explained. “No magic can produce life; it can destroy it but never, ever produce it. Elven magic works through the power of life but even it cannot produce it.”

“Quite correct, Miss Blackwell,” Professor McGonagall added, “ you would all do well to remember that when we use live specimens that we are toying with a life, no matter how insignificant, and that we must treat it with respect.”

“But if life cannot be produced with magic, only death, is it not dangerous to use living specimens?”

Elizabeth turned in the direction of the voice to see Victoria with her hand raised after speaking.

“That is why we treat the specimens with respect and only use magic which will not harm them, Victoria,” she answered.

“My father says that to transfigure a creature is to commit an assault on that creature.”

“Many witches and wizards are Animagi and thus are able to transfigure themselves, is that an assault?”

“An Animagus does what they do willingly and upon command. They are not committing an assault upon themselves but rather they are merely changing their forms for their own desire or need. It is not the same thing! The rats that you say that you Transfigured were not given a choice in the proceedings and therefore were assaulted.”

“Point taken, Victoria, we shall discuss it when your class reaches the point in which you are using those specimens.”

“You took a point from me for discussing this, it’s not fair.”

Elizabeth smiled as she realized that she had been misunderstood and she spoke to clarify herself.

“No, Victoria, I did not take a point from you, I merely acknowledged your point of contention.”

“Oh,” the girl replied as her face blushed red. “I’m sorry I got angry with you.”

“No problem, but you all need to get back to work on your copying.”

She settled back down into her chair as the first years went back to work. While she worked on her own task her mind wandered back to the girl, who was continuing to steal glances at her.

_‘She’s noticed it too, the way that we look like each other. She has to be my half-sister, but how did she wind up here. Mother said that my father went to Durmstrang, why would his daughter be here?'_

The stack of papers before her that needed to be marked shrank quickly and she was soon finishing with her task just as Professor McGonagall was dismissing the first years. She dawdled after they left and watched as her mentor closed the doors behind them.

“I see that you have noticed it too, Miss Blackwell.”

“You mean the fact that she could be me back when I was a first year? Yeah, I’ve noticed it. She even argues the way that I do when I feel that I need to. It’s very odd while also being rather disturbing.”

“Do you intend to speak to her?”

“Yes, but I don’t intend to ask her how she looks so much like me. Can you look into her background?”

“I have already done so.”

“Can you tell me, Professor McGonagall, can you tell me if she is my sister?”

“No, Elizabeth, I cannot, it would be a violation of her privacy.”

“I see.”

The witches looked at each other for a moment before Elizabeth gathered her things to prepare to leave. Minerva McGonagall watched as her favorite student forced back disappointment and then smiled brightly.

“Are we doing rats anytime soon?”

“Imagining a pink one with feathers, are you?”

“Maybe for a short time, for old times’ sake!”

The pair smiled and then laughed before hugging, then the older witch shooed her student out of the room with terse instructions.

“Move along, get to class before you end up in detention.”

“This is my study period, Professor McGonagall, I’ll be in the courtyard if you need me.”

“Well, let the next group in when you leave.”

Elizabeth opened the doors to nearly collide with the fourth years that were waiting to hurry into the room. Alexis Malfoy watched as the older girl stepped out of the classroom and her eyes fixed immediately on the new pin that adorned the robes of the sixth year. Despite the somewhat agreement that they had come to on the train, the ire of the girl rose instantly and she spoke out.

“Well, well, well, look who the new Teaching Assistant is! How many times did you have to bat your baby blue eyes and how many tears did you have to shed to get that pin, Blackwell? I guess that you’re not a Prefect anymore so I don’t have to worry about you taking points from me.”

“Actually, Miss Malfoy, Miss Blackwell got her position on merit! She has demonstrated high abilities in my classroom and therefore has been accorded this honor. Should you ever decide to work as hard as she has you may achieve what she has! Until then you all need to realize that, while she may not be a Prefect any longer, she does still retain the ability to take points or send you to Professor Leeds should she feel the need to.”

Elizabeth, feeling empowered, chose that moment to speak to Alexis.

“Alexis, I still want to be friends or at least get along. Nothing has changed in my eyes from what I said to you on the Hogwarts Express. I don’t like this digging at each other and I won’t be involved in it anymore. I would hope that you feel the same way because if you do that’s great but if you don’t then I’m afraid that I’ll be taking a lot of points from Slytherin House this term.”

The other girl stood stunned as Elizabeth walked away to find a bench in the courtyard to settle on to. The group that she was in was filing into the classroom, under Professor McGonagall’s watchful eye, as Lily and Beatrice joined their friend on the bench.

“Wow! You picked a good spot!” Beatrice announced. “But where is the shade coming from? The tree is over there and can’t possibly be casting a shadow this far.”

Elizabeth giggled as she held up her wand before answering.

“Are you forgetting where we go to school?”

“The whole school is buzzing about the new Teaching Assistant,” Lily chimed in. “Some of the talk isn’t the nicest, especially when it’s a Slytherin talking.”

“It doesn’t bother me in the least,” Elizabeth answered, “I’m doing my job and actually having a bit of fun while I’m at it.”

The trio of sixth years would sit in the magically provided shade until it was time to rise and walk to the mid-day meal. As they walked away the shade provided by the spell shrank back to where it normally was, under the tree.

As the students walked into the Great Hall Elizabeth watched the new first years as they settled into place. Then she glanced up at the glowing numbers above the hourglasses and managed a grim smile, Gryffindor had managed to climb to minus thirty-five.

“Wow! We were able to win five points! All that we need to do is get another thirty-five and we can be at zero.”

“Hey, at least we aren’t at minus seventy like Slytherin is!”

“They can thank Meredith for that.”

“Yeah, Elizabeth, they can,” Lily said quietly, “but they’re blaming you.”

“So what else is new?”

Elizabeth and her friends settled down to the first mid-day of the term and were soon filing themselves with food while they talked. As they ate, Elizabeth was conscious of the looks that Victoria was sending her way.

_‘I need to talk to her because it’s the only way to sort this out. The problem is, should I talk to her and let him know I exist and where I am? Maybe I should let Mother know about this first and see what she says. That’s what I’m going to do! An owl goes out this afternoon.’_

Later that afternoon Elizabeth would make the trip to the Owlery and send a note to her mother with one of the school owls. The girl didn’t know if she was starting something that she would regret, but what she did know was that she hoped she could get her questions answered.


	4. Joy and a Painful Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ELizabeth informs her mother abut her change in status and other things, but the return correspondence leads to disappointment and anger when another is informed about the development.

Victoria Blackwell looked up as the owl from Hogwarts landed on the sill of the half-door that led from her garden into her kitchen. It clutched an envelope in its beak and she hurried to accept the object while also offering a treat in payment. The tawny owl accepted the treat and then winged away to return to Hogwarts.

_‘I don’t know why that child won’t let us get her an owl. They live in the Owlery, not the castle and Tiger would be perfectly safe.’_

She shook her head again and then sat down at the table to read the letter from her child while she sipped at the cup of tea that she had prepared. Elizabeth’s neat script appeared and her voice announced the news and the question that she had.

_Dear Mom,_

_I wanted to let you know that I am no longer a Prefect. No, I haven’t gotten into trouble and been removed from the post, instead I gave it up voluntarily to accept the position of Teaching Assistant with Professor McGonagall in Transfiguration. I wanted to be the first to tell you this before they send an owl from Professor Leeds’ office. But there is something else that I need to talk to you about._

_There is a new girl in the first year class that has me a bit confused. It will probably confuse and concern you as well. Mom, her name is Victoria Beales-Armstrong and she looks just like me when I was a first year. I don’t know what to do, I mean, she seems nice but I don’t know if I should get close to her._

_Please tell me what you think._

_Love,_   
_Elizabeth_

_P.S. Tell Grandmother, Grandfather, Daddy and Chloe that I love and miss them._

Victoria sat the cup back down onto the saucer as she reread the last paragraph of Elizabeth’s letter again while she tried to make sense of it. She hadn’t heard the surname of Elizabeth’s father for a very long time and had hoped never to again. Although she loved Elizabeth intensely and regarded her as the best thing to result from her brief reunion with the wizard that she had originally met at the Yule Ball at Hogwarts, she had wanted nothing further to do with him. She definitely didn’t want her daughter to have anything to do with her biological father, especially after the relationship that the girl had with John had blossomed.

Her husband now regarded the girl as his own child and enjoyed spending time with Elizabeth, something that would have been unthinkable only a few years before. The pair would spend hours with each other and John had overjoyed Elizabeth when he had accepted the fact that the girl was now engaged to Albus Potter and someday would be his wife as well as the mother of his children.

_‘Why is that child at Hogwarts? Does Marcus know about Elizabeth and where she is? Professor McGonagall knows about all of this and I know that she cares about Elizabeth. Perhaps it’s time that I send an owl to her.’_

A short time later the owl belonging to Victoria was speeding towards Hogwarts with two letters in its beak. One would go to Elizabeth while the other would be delivered to Professor McGonagall in the hopes that the mystery might be solved.

Hours later, Elizabeth sat quietly in the Great Hall with her friends while they studied. Hagrid had intended to take the class outside to examine yet another incredible beast only to come down with an extremely bad cold. For the safety of the students, who inevitably would have been bowled over by the force of his sneezes should they be in their path, the children had been given a reading assignment.

A sudden noise caught the attention of the girl and she looked up as her mother’s owl swooped into the large room and moved unerringly towards her to deliver the letter from home. Other students looked upward as they expected their owls but were disappointed when only that owl appeared. They watched as the owl delivered a letter to the girl and then swooped to deliver a second with Professor McGonagall.

Elizabeth, knowing the likely content of the letter and seeing that the younger girl was within earshot, rose silently to approach the professor.

“Professor McGonagall, I really would like to read my owl in private. You got one from my mother too and I think that maybe we should listen to them together.”

The pair hurried out of the Great Hall to walk to the Transfiguration classroom where the doors were soon closed and they were safe to open the envelopes.

_Dear Elizabeth,_

_Congratulations on your new post, I know that you shall do well and we are so proud of you. The second part of your letter concerns me as I had not heard anything from your father in a great many years, not since before your birth. I would ask that you exercise caution around this girl for, if she is the daughter of your father, I fear that this may be an attempt to get closer to you._

_I do not know how he knows where you study; in fact, he was never informed of your birth. Please be careful and confide with Professors Leeds and McGonagall, who I assume is also listening to this letter. Elizabeth, I am going to ask that you not listen to what I have written to Professor McGonagall, while I trust you completely I am also trying to shield you from things that would harm you should you know about them._

_Please remember and be secure in the fact that your Daddy and I love you so much._   
_Mom_

The younger witch looked up at Professor McGonagall as the letter refolded itself and then landed back in her hand.

“Why doesn’t she want me to hear what she wrote?”

“Elizabeth, please trust your mother’s judgement in this! There are things about your father that you are better off not knowing. You only know the barest of facts about him and that is almost more than you should be aware of. Your mother is trying to protect you, as am I, and neither of us would ever allow you to come to harm. Please, be satisfied with that and don’t dig into it any further.”

“But I don’t understand…”

“It is better that you don’t. Please return to the Great Hall and continue your studies.”

“But…”

“Miss Blackwell, please do as I ask.”

“Yes, Professor McGonagall.”

“Close the doors behind you please.”

The older witch watched as the girl walked out of the room and the doors closed behind the child before opening the envelope.

_Professor McGonagall,_

_I had hoped to never write this letter but now fear for the safety and well-being of my daughter. I am very afraid that Marcus has discovered that not only does Elizabeth exist but also where she attends school. We both know what Marcus was capable of, although I wish sincerely that I didn’t, and I don’t want Elizabeth to ever learn about her father’s violent past. The sudden appearance of this new child, Victoria, terrifies me as I feel that she may be at Hogwarts for more than just the opportunity to study magic._

_I know that you care deeply for my daughter and that she cares for you because you were one of those people from school that she talked about all break long. Please keep an eye on my child although I know that you already do. Elizabeth is one of the most precious things in the world to me and I could not bear it should something happen to her._

_She will undoubtedly try to learn all that she can about Victoria and this frightens me. She can be very determined when something puzzles her and this time I am afraid that the knowledge that she might uncover will destroy her. Please, Professor McGonagall, protect her._

_Victoria Trane-Blackwell_

Minerva McGonagall watched as the letter closed and then slipped back into the envelope from which it had come. She had wondered if this day would ever come, if Marcus Beales-Armstrong would ever again step into her life, and now he had.

Victoria was right; Elizabeth would demonstrate her determination, curiosity and resourcefulness once again to learn all that she could about the new student and her father. This terrified her as much as it did the mother of the child because there were terrible things to learn about the wizard who had fathered her and perhaps this new child. They could only hope that he had not and that the name was merely a coincidence for nothing good could come from the fact that the name Marcus Beales-Armstrong had come back to Hogwarts.

Elizabeth walked back into the Great Hall confused and also a bit angry, she was being denied information that she felt that she needed to know. If the girl was her sister then her father might appear and if that happened she would have to confront him once and for all. Koeppler hadn’t frightened her in the least and she wasn’t the least bit afraid of confronting a living wizard, not even if he was her father.

She settled down into her seat once again to begin reading what she had been assigned but found her mind wandering.

_‘I need to learn as much as I can about him, that’s all that there is to it. I know just who to ask and they will never think to tell her not to talk to me. I need to speak to Chloe!’_

Lily watched as her friend struggled to read what had been assigned to them and wondered idly what had her so confused and disorganized. Elizabeth was normally the most prepared of all of them and now she was acting as though she had not a clue as to what to do. No doubt the new girl had something to do with it, for Elizabeth had been more than a little bit on about her. Why she should be concerned about a new first year was beyond Lily. They saw first years every term and none of them, not even Alexis and Meredith, had ever bothered Elizabeth like this.

“Are you okay, Elizabeth?”

“I’m not certain. Mom wrote a letter to Professor McGonagall that she didn’t want me to hear.”

“So how do you find out what it was? You know that Professor McGonagall will never tell you.”

“I’ve already figured that part out.”

“So tell me.”

“It’s probably better that you don’t know, Lily.”

“It’s not going to cost Gryffindor points, is it?”

“No, I just need to talk to my elf, Chloe.”

“But won’t she tell your mother?”

“Not if I tell her not to.”

“It’s really risky, Elizabeth.”

“What’s the harm in a little risk?”

“Please don’t do anything that I have to report.”

“I won’t.”

“Promise, Elizabeth?”

“I promise, Lily.”

A few minutes later the students were hurrying from the Great Hall and Elizabeth was firmly set on her plan. She would sit impatiently through her classes until the mid-day meal when she hurried to grab several pieces of chicken and then rush up to the Gryffindor common room to feed Tiger. He looked up at her with grateful eyes as he ate his treat while Elizabeth watched him. She stole a look at the portal which was protected by the portrait of the Fat Lady before calling out to her friend.

“Chloe, I need you please.”

An instant later the tiny elf appeared with a POP in front of her with a confused look in her eyes.

“Miss Elizabeth needs Chloe?”

“Yes, Chloe, I need you to do several things for me.”

“What does Miss Elizabeth need from Chloe?”

“Well, the first thing that I need is very important!”

“What does Miss Elizabeth need?”

“I need you to promise not to tell anything about this to anyone, not even my parents or grandparents.”

The diminutive elf frowned and looked at her young mistress with confusion apparent in her expression before answering.

“Chloe does not understand.”

“Chloe, please promise not to tell anyone about what we discuss here.”

“Chloe promises not to tell anyone about what we are talking about.”

“You won’t even tell my parents or grandparents?”

“Chloe will not even tell Miss Elizabeth’s parents or grandparents.”

“I want to know about Marcus Beales-Armstrong, my father.”

The small elf recoiled as though struck and backed away from Elizabeth as if she were some sort of strange dangerous creature.”

“Miss Elizabeth, please do not ask Chloe to discuss that monster.”

“I need to know about him, Chloe.”

“Chloe cannot discuss him with you; Chloe cannot discuss him at all.”

“Why?”

“Miss Elizabeth, Chloe has made the elf equal to the Unbreakable Vow with your mother. I have said all that I can say.”

“But who can I turn to if I wish to find out about him?”

“Miss Elizabeth does not want to learn what she wishes to about Marcus Beales-Armstrong. It would not serve her well to do so.”

“I understand. Chloe, please remember what you promised me.”

“Chloe remembers what she promised Miss Elizabeth, she will not reveal what we spoke of. Is Miss Elizabeth angry with Chloe for not telling her what she wishes to know?”

Elizabeth reached forward to gather the elf into a hug and then caressed her head before looking into the eyes of her friend.

“No, Chloe, I’m not angry with you and never could be.”

“Chloe must go, Miss Elizabeth, your mother is calling for me.”

“Remember our deal, please.”

The elf winked and then vanished with a POP, leaving Elizabeth alone in the common room except for Tiger and the portraits.

“Can’t anyone tell me about him?”

“I can, but I’m not certain that you really want to know all that I do.”

Elizabeth turned to gaze wide-eyed at the portrait that had spoken and then sat back down as she listened to the tale of Marcus Beales-Armstrong. An hour later she walked into a class that she was very late for with eyes puffy from crying and a terrible knowledge in her mind.

Professor McGonagall looked up from her book to see the girl stagger to her seat and then settle down into it before putting her head down and beginning to cry with huge shoulder shaking sobs.

“Class, you are dismissed. Miss Blackwell, I should like very much for you to remain behind.”

The students rose as one and hurried out of the classroom with one exception. Lily remained behind as she put her arm over Elizabeth’s shoulders.

“Are you okay, Elizabeth?”

“I’ll never be okay again, Lily! I know all of it, every filthy detail that no one wanted me to know. Every detail that was held from me by people that I trusted, my mother, my grandparents and even you, Professor McGonagall,” she screamed as she raised her head to fix the professor with a terrible glare.

“Elizabeth…” Professor McGonagall started.

“NO! I trusted you! I listened to you all of these years and trusted everything that you told me and you were lying to me all of this time. I’ll never believe anything that you tell me again!”

The girl abruptly rose and walked out of the room, brushing past the professor who tried to stop her. As she walked out of the room she yanked the pin that denoted her as a Teaching Assistant from her robes and threw it violently onto the floor before striding out into the courtyard without a backwards glance.

“Elizabeth!”

The call from Professor McGonagall was ignored by the girl who slammed the door into the corridor behind her and Minerva McGonagall could only look at Lily Potter with stricken eyes.

Elizabeth walked up the many stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room before resuming her trip to her dorm where she gathered her belongings and threw them into the box which held her laboratory. Tiger was the only thing that was given any sort of tenderness as she put him into the cage and slid it into the room beyond the tiny door. The picture that she had received from Albus joined her belongings before she closed the door and then dropped the box into the pockets of her robes.

She took a look around the dorm before walking out of the room and down the stairs to the basement where the portrait of Frenwhel hung on the wall.

“Miss Elizabeth, what brings you to this portrait? You know very well that the passage to Sebastian’s home is sealed, you watched it seal with your own eyes.”

“Frenwhel, I need something from you.”

“What is it?”

“I hate flying on brooms.”

The portrait grimaced and then the frame slowly opened to reveal the passage behind it. She stepped through the doorway and then into the passage beyond.

“Thank you, Frenwhel,” the girl said as the portrait closed behind her.

Augustus Frenwhel sighed and then closed his eyes once again to quickly fall asleep.

The passageway that Elizabeth found herself in was familiar and she knew that the place that she was going to would be the first place that anyone looked. She had shown Professor Leeds this very passage when she was a third year. Now she wasn’t certain if she was still a student at Hogwarts, or even if she wanted to be. She walked down the passage until she reached the door at the end of it. A tentative pull was rewarded with the door opening and she was soon in the broom closet that she had led the headmaster to.

She turned the handle and carefully opened the door which led into the corridor beyond. No one was in sight and she hurried across the hall to a room that she sometimes visited. The door was partially open and she stepped into the room before closing the door and reaching into her pocket for an object that lay within.

Her hand emerged a moment later clutching an ancient silver spoon. She looked at it for a moment before concentrating on where she wanted to go. The girl vanished, courtesy of the portkey, just as the housekeeper stepped into the room that she was to clean.

Lily and Professor McGonagall stepped into the dorm to find the normally neat area that Elizabeth had occupied devastated. The cupboard had been thrown open and the clothing of the girl was gone. Her books were missing as well with nothing remaining but a single piece of parchment which held a terse note.

**_DON’T TRY TO FIND ME!_ **

“We need to contact her Professor Leeds and her parents; they need to know what happened.”

The girl reached out to take ahold of the arm of the professor’s robes and the pair vanished from the room with a POP. As they vanished, the rightful owner of the portrait frame in the common room finally managed to return to his place on the wall.

“Of all of the nerve!”

Elizabeth appeared in a not so familiar place, the cavern in which Sebastian had lived for so many years was darkened and she was having a hard time seeing where she was. She drew her wand and then cast the simple incantation.

_“Lumos Maxima!”_

The light provided allowed her to see the cavern around her and she walked quietly to the room in which she had stayed after the wizard had rescued her from the lake. She pushed the door open and soon was standing in the space where she had stayed. A look around the room revealed that it, like the cavern, was devoid of furnishings or comfort.

She reached into her pocket once again to withdraw the box and then place it upon the floor in a well-hidden space. The door was soon open and she stepped into the room beyond it to see her things still lying where they had fallen after being thrown into the space. She gathered them and slowly walked into the chamber which had been part of her library. Like the Room of Requirement and the room in Koeppler’s tower, this room could become what she needed it to even if it meant swelling to an enormous size or shrinking to a small closet.

A bed stood in the room and she recognized it as the one that Sebastian had provided for her. No portraits hung in this room and for good reason. She knew that should Sebastian or Frenwhel realize that she was within the box they would inform her parents or Professor McGonagall. Then they would come and she would have to surrender to their will. She settled down onto the bed to open the cage that held Tiger. Reaching into the cage she pulled her pet out and cuddled him tightly as she spoke to him.

“This is our home for a while, Tiger. There are plenty of fish for you to eat and I’m certain that the old elf that Sebastian had is still around to prepare meals.”

Professor Leeds sat behind his desk as he looked at the note that the girl had left behind. His gaze shifted as he looked into the stricken eyes of the professor and student that stood before him.

“What happened that could have made such a stable student behave in this way?”

“Elizabeth somehow learned the facts about her father,” Professor McGonagall said slowly.

“John Blackwell has secrets that his daughter learned?”

“John Blackwell is not her father; he simply raised her as his own. Elizabeth’s true father is Marcus Beales-Armstrong.”

“Marcus Beales-Armstrong? That wizard was a disgrace to our world and a murderer besides. He should have been thrown into Azkaban’s deepest dungeons and never allowed to see sunlight again.”

A sudden POP alarmed them and they turned to see Elizabeth’s family standing in the room, each touching an elf.

“Where is our child?” Victoria Trane-Blackwell shrieked.

“At this time we are searching the castle for her, but thus far we have been unsuccessful in locating her,” Professor Leeds answered.

“Who told her the truth about her father?”

“We do not know. It is my understanding that she left the Great Hall with chicken for her cat and never returned to the mid-day meal. When she did return it was to class and she was very upset with Professor McGonagall. She accused a number of people of holding back the information that she had been trying to get and said that she knew everything about her father that she hadn’t been told.”

Victoria looked down at Chloe, who looked up at the witch that towered over her.

“Chloe, Elizabeth called you to Hogwarts today, didn’t she?”

“Yes, Madam Victoria, Chloe was called to Hogwarts today by Miss Elizabeth.”

“Did she ask you about her father?”

“Chloe cannot discuss what Miss Elizabeth wanted to speak about.”

“She made you promise, didn’t she?”

“Yes, Madam Victoria.”

“Did you reveal what I made you vow not to?”

“No, Madam Victoria, Chloe did not speak of the forbidden subject.”

Victoria nodded and then looked up at the headmaster who stood in the room that she occupied.

“I believe her, Chloe is a very dependable elf and would not lie. Obviously Elizabeth found another way to learn what she wanted to.”

“Then we need to find out who told her, why they told her, where she went and what she intends to do with this information,” Professor Leeds answered. “While I know that she is vulnerable I also fear what she might do. Elizabeth is a very formidable witch and can easily handle many in a duel. I believe that we need to get the Office of the Aurors involved in the search for your child if she is not found in this castle. As a matter of fact, I may have an idea about how she left Hogwarts. Please join me in the lower levels near the portrait of Augustus Frenwhel.”

The tall headmaster vanished with a POP and appeared in front of the portrait, only to be joined a few moments later by the rest of the group from his office.

“Elizabeth told me the password to this portrait years ago and I have never had the need to use it until now. It opens into a broom closet on the second floor of The Three Broomsticks.”

“Professor,” Lily said quietly, “she might have told you that this goes to The Three Broomsticks, but that isn’t where she was really going.”

“But I have seen the broom closet, Miss Potter. Are you saying that she lied to me?”

“Yes, Professor Leeds, Elizabeth lied to you. She was going through a lot then and needed a refuge to go to.”

“Do you know how to get there?”

“No, sir, I don’t. She told me that the passage to the place sealed after Sebastian Trane was killed and I don’t think that she ever tried to return to it.”

A sudden snorting drew their attention and all turned to look at the wizard who was glaring at them through sleep-filled eyes.

“What is all of the jabbering about? Cannot a wizard sleep without being disturbed?”

“Frenwhel, has Elizabeth Blackwell been here today?”

“She was here and she used the backdoor to The Three Broomsticks.”

“Do you know if she went there?”

“Well, there is certainly nowhere else that she can go using this portrait.”

“But there used to be, am I correct?”

“Yes, Headmaster Leeds, but it was sealed magically when Sebastian Trane died. It is impossible for anyone to enter it again. I do not believe that it can be accessed even by way of the lake. Sebastian was very thorough with his preparations. All of his things went into a box that is now controlled by Elizabeth Blackwell.”

“Is this the same box in which she defeated Gabriel Koeppler?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have a frame in that box?”

“Yes.”

“I need you to go there and tell me if the girl is present in the box.”

The wizard in the portrait slowly rose from his chair and then walked back to a door in the portrait. He opened it and then stepped into another room. A moment later they could hear a crash as things fell after being collided with and a loud cursing. The door reopened and Frenwhel stepped back into his portrait to limp back to his chair where he settled back down to rub his knee.

“The girl is not in the box! It was darker than nightfall and more crowded than the Room of Requirement ever was.”

“Thank you, Frenwhel.”

The wizard in the portrait continued to grumble as they walked away from his frame. They vanished with POPs once again to reappear in the office of Tobias Leeds.

“I shall have the entrance to the cavern from the lake searched by the Merpeople. They of all people would know where to look.”

“What are we to do until then, Professor Leeds?” Artemis Trane asked as his wife comforted their daughter.

“The only thing that we can do, Mister Trane,” the headmaster answered.

“And what is that?”

“We wait.”


	5. Recognition and Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth sees things from the past.

Elizabeth stood silently near a snow covered copse of trees while the scene unfolded before her.

“Beales-Armstrong, where are you? I’m here, waiting for you, or are you afraid to show yourself? You’re a coward, Marcus, and I intend to tell everyone in the school about it! To challenge someone to a duel and then not show up to be the man that you claim you are means that you’re a coward!”

The young man, clad in Durmstrang robes which were covered with a long fur-lined coat, stood in the open as he shouted out insults at her father. The girl looked around and could see no one, which made her wonder if her father was going to show up at all. As she watched, the young man continued his taunts and then drew his wand before casting a spell.

_“Lumos Maxima!”_

The bright light that appeared seemed to fluoresce as the youthful wizard yelled out into the unseen again with his thickly accented voice. Now there was no doubt as to his location and he was reveling in what he believed.

“Cowarrrd!”

As intent as the man was on casting out insults he should have been watching the tree line. Elizabeth was suddenly distracted from watching the man in the clearing by a noise within the trees and she turned to see movement. A shadowy figure slowly approached through the conifers and she realized that she was seeing her father.

The girl gasped as she saw his features and understood that she could never deny that he had fathered her. The resemblance was much too strong and she could see many of her features within him. His piercing blue eyes fixed on the wizard who was still hurling insults at an unseen opponent as he danced around in the falling snow.

“Marcus Beales-Armstrong is a coward! He refuses to come to a duel that he made the challenge for. Perhaps, he could win against a first year, because he is afraid to face someone of his own year! You would be better off as a squib and far more useful!”

She could see the grimace on his lips and heard the snarl that emanated from his throat as he drew his wand. The other wizard was starting to walk back up the path towards the school in the distance and never saw his opponent step out into the clear. The girl realized what was about to happen and could only watch as her father did what he was about to do.

_“Avada Kadavra!”_

The other young wizard had caught movement out of the corner of his eye and was starting to turn to face his opponent when he was fixed by the baleful green light of the forbidden curse. He was thrown backwards to land face up in a deep snow bank, his wand landing several feet away. Marcus Beales-Armstrong approached his fallen antagonist and then stood over him as he looked down at what he had done.

“Don’t ever call me a coward!”

He stood there for a long second and then pointed his wand at the dead man once again.

_“Incendio!”_

The body blazed into light as an intense fire began to consume it. Shouts from above announced the approach of several students and professors who had been drawn by the glow from the fallen man’s wand, the curse that had been cast and now the fire which was rapidly consuming the body. Elizabeth watched as her father turned and then ran back into the trees which rapidly concealed him from view. He moved through the trees until he was standing right next to her while they watched the crowd approach the body. A scream sounded as a witch in the group recognized the corpse as her own son.

“It was Marcus Beales-Armstrong, my Andrei told me that he had been challenged to a duel by that boy.”

“We have no proof that it was Mister Beales-Armstrong, Professor Abdulova.”

“Many students heard him challenge my Andrei. They heard him say that he was going to kill my son.”

“Have the area searched! I want whoever did this found and taken into custody. Be cautious, they are obviously not afraid to kill another person!”

Elizabeth watched as a growing number of people appeared and the search parties began to fan out to search for the person who had killed the wizard. A series of POPs announced the arrival of wizards that she assumed were the equivalent of Aurors. Her father made a noise of disgust and then turned to leave the area just as a shout of discovery sounded and several wizards raced towards them with their wands drawn.

She watched as her father raised his own wand as he prepared to do battle with the swarming wizards. Elizabeth understood that she was likely going to be in the line of fire and wondered just how to preserve her own life.

_“Avada Kedavra!”_

One of the wizards was enveloped by the green light and fell, tumbling over and over in the snow, as his momentum carried him forward. Enraged by the death of their colleague, the approaching wizards began to cast attacks from their wands without discrimination of target and the trees around Elizabeth began to be shredded by the hateful energy. She braced herself for the impact of one of the curses but the energy never seemed to affect her even though the strikes passed through her repeatedly.

The girl looked down at her chest expecting to see her robes shredded and burning but instead saw only normalcy. As her father turned and fled the scene the wizards pursuing him ran towards her and in some cases, without stopping or even seeming to notice her presence, through her! She turned to watch her father dodging the curses being hurled at him while at the same time avoiding trees that were in his path. The flight ended abruptly when one of the curses struck him in the center of the back and he was shoved roughly face first into the snow.

Two of the men rushed forward and, without much care, seized the obviously injured man by the arms and then jerked him to his feet.

“Marcus Beales-Armstrong, you are under arrest for the murder of Andrei Abdulov and for the violation of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. You shall be taken from this place to stand trial before the Wizengamot and shall be held in custody by the Office of the Aurors until that time.”

Elizabeth could only watch as her father was dragged away to a clear space where he and the men who held him suddenly vanished with a POP. The last of the men regarded the wand that the injured man had dropped and the pair of corpses that would have to be removed from the sight of the crowd of students who had gathered on the ledge above the scene.

Finally, someone must have said something to the students because they began to turn to walk back to the school. The way that they carried themselves told the girl that they were disappointed at being forced to return to the castle. She watched as the Aurors assigned to remove the bodies drew their wands and then a moment later the bodies were gone as though they had never existed. The Aurors then vanished with a POP leaving the scene of the tragedy vacant except for Elizabeth.

She stepped out of the cover of the trees to watch the retreating students as they trudged through the snow on a course which would take them back to the castle. The harsh wind that was blowing the snow had no effect on the girl and she glanced back at where she had been to see no footprints where she had been standing or leading to where she now was.

Understanding finally that she was seeing something that had happened long before her birth and that she could not be seen, Elizabeth set out to follow the group. Nothing that she did here would make any difference in the future of things. She was like a shadow on a wall, without influence and unable to create a change.

The trip to the castle seemed to take forever, although she couldn’t feel the cold wind that was blowing around her. When she arrived at the doors which led into the castle she found that she could step through them. Then she found herself inside the bustling castle that was not so unlike Hogwarts. A grand hall stood before her and she could see rows of student filled tables within it while a tall wizard stood at a lectern as he spoke to the assembly.

She stepped forward to listen to the speech and was stunned by what she saw within the chamber. Tall braziers held enormous fires that illuminated the room. Everywhere tapestries told the stories of the school and its many famous past students and accomplishments. The students were dressed, like those at Hogwarts and Beauxbatons, in uniforms but in this case the clothing obviously indicated status. The obvious first years wore very plain uniforms while the older students wore uniforms that were apparently added to with each passing year.

She looked to her right to see enormous staircases which led upwards and down to the different levels of the structure. A person could explore for several days without seeing it all for certain. Elizabeth looked back into the Durmstrang Great Hall and realized that she couldn’t understand much of what was being said by the speaker who occasionally would raise his volume to emphasize a point. She did understand it when her father’s name was mentioned. The roar from the assembled students told her that their anger had risen and several punctuated that point by pounding on the table with their fists while also shouting out their rage.

Elizabeth was startled when a person entering the room walked through her without even noticing her. She stepped further into the room to get a better look at the proceedings and stood in one corner to watch and listen.

That her father was the subject of the speech was undeniable, his name had been mentioned several times, and each time it was the uproar became louder. She had the feeling that he would have been torn apart physically had he stepped into the midst of them.

“Abdulov! Abdulov! Abdulov! Abdulov! Abdulov! Abdulov!”

The shouted name, obviously the name of the boy that her father had killed, grew in volume as it was chanted over and over again until the students were driven to an almost frenzy. Elizabeth clasped her hands over her ears and found that it did no good. She clinched her eyes tightly shut and gritted her teeth as the noise reached a thunderous level. Sweat broke out on her face as she attempted to leave the room and found that she could not. The doors had closed and she was trapped inside the enormous room. She turned to see that the speaker had left the lectern and the students were rising from the tables with their gazes fixed firmly on her.

Elizabeth backed until the heavy wooden doors prevented her further withdrawal and she could only watch as the crowd approached her while they chanted her father’s name over and over again as they prepared to destroy her.

“Beales-Armstrong! Beales-Armstrong! Beales-Armstrong! Beales-Armstrong! Beales-Armstong! Beales-Armstrong!”

They seized her and she felt the terrible pain as they began to tear her apart while they chanted the name of the man that they hated and Elizabeth Blackwell could only scream.

She jerked awake, bed clothes soaked with a cold sweat, and looked around the room that was unfamiliar as the last of her scream died away. Tiger sat at the end of the bed with his eyes wide with fright and she realized that she had likely screamed aloud. The nightmare had been so real and now she understood what her father had done on the night that he had been sent to stand trial for the murder of his fellow student. She had not been told about the Auror that he had killed or the circumstances under which he had struck. A hatred for him rose within her as she came to terms with the fact that he had challenged another wizard and then killed him by not only striking from hiding but also by using one of the Unforgivable Curses. They had been right to send him to Azkaban Prison, but why had her mother and Professor McGonagall refused to tell her the truth and what did Chloe know that she couldn’t tell?

She reached down to take the cat into her arms and comfort him while she ran her fingers through his fur. His soft purring told her that all was forgiven and she kissed him gently on top of his head. While she did this, she knew that she had been wrong in speaking to Professor McGonagall the way that she had. There was no doubt that the professor, like Chloe, knew more than they had revealed, but she also knew that very likely her mother had asked them never to tell her daughter what they knew.

“Tiger, should I go back to Hogwarts? You seem happy enough here with all of the fish that you can eat and plenty of mice to chase. Should I go back?”

She settled back onto the bed as the cat relaxed in her arms and was soon falling asleep. There was a lot to think about when she woke back up and she wondered what she would decide.

Professor Minerva McGonagall sat in her office while she looked at the pin that Elizabeth had torn from her robes. The girl was a rare mixture of talent and determination, especially given the very rough start that she had endured. A father who was a murderer, a step-father who had hated her but thankfully had come to love her, a half-sister who had done everything that she could to make her life miserable, a missing grandfather who was considered a criminal and finally a school which had expelled her after some within the staff had decided early on that that would be her fate. All of this had been stacked against the girl and yet she had prevailed, earning stellar marks in her studies and demonstrating leadership that none had expected. She had shown unwavering charity to all, even those who had gone out of their way to demean her or worse. Now that girl had learned the bitter truth about her beginnings and the professor hoped that the girl could fight her way back to where she had been. She slid the pin into a drawer of her desk in the hope that the girl would return to claim it before rising and leaving the classroom behind as she retired to her chambers.

Despite the manner in which Elizabeth had spoken to her and the words that had been said in anger, she knew that the girl had been acting under emotion and hoped that she would come around. She actually believed that, once Elizabeth had cooled down, she would reappear to resume her studies at Hogwarts.

Minerva McGonagall thought back fondly to the small, blonde girl who had sheepishly approached her on the Hogsmeade Platform in answer to the summons that had been called out. She had liked the child as soon as she had seen her and wondered what she could do to overcome the difficulties that the girl had experienced. That the girl was very intelligent had been made apparent swiftly and it was in direct odds to what had been said about her in the records from Beauxbatons that had preceded the child. She had demonstrated none of the terrible things that had been recorded about her.

After that the girl had blossomed with a large part of the thanks going to the circle of friends that she had formed. Now she was a wonderful young woman who had a bright future ahead of her and the professor had nothing but the highest of beliefs in Elizabeth.

She finally fell to sleep thinking about the missing student and hoping that in the morning the girl would walk into the castle to chirp her normal morning greeting and smile the wonderful smile that she possessed.

Lily lay awake in Gryffindor Tower as she thought about her friend; the empty bed didn’t make things any easier. Where had Elizabeth gone and had she truly meant everything that she had said? None of it had sounded like Elizabeth and she knew that it had been pain that had been speaking through her friend. The quiet breathing of her dorm mates tried to lull her back to sleep but she couldn’t manage the feat. She was worried that Elizabeth had given up too much, first her post as a Prefect, then she had thrown her teaching Assistant pin aside before gathering her things and vanishing. Would they allow her to return to Hogwarts? If they did, would they return her to her post?

“Elizabeth, where are you?”

Elizabeth would have preferred to be awake as she was visited by yet another dream.

The boisterous atmosphere of the huge circular room had an extremely apparent source. Elizabeth recognized the room as she looked around it at the many dozens of witches and wizards who were seated facing the center of the room. She was sitting in the courtroom of the Wizengamot, just as she had during her previous term at Hogwarts, only this time she was not the one on trial.

That she was just as invisible to these people as she had been until the very end at Durmstrang was apparent. The young witch looked around the room again and realized that some of the witches and wizards were familiar to her. Try as she might she couldn’t place them until she saw the portraits that ringed the room. Now the reason that she recognized them was clear, they had portraits at Hogwarts!

A sudden insistent banging brought the room to order and the noise died to a murmur. The room went completely silent as a hole opened in the floor and a circular cage rose from somewhere under the room. Elizabeth was reminded of a bird cage but this cage was occupied by a man. She felt her eyes widen as she recognized the confined man just as the wizard who was obviously the equivalent of a Muggle judge spoke.

“Marcus Beales-Armstrong, you stand accused of the murder of not only Andrei Abdulov who was a student at Durmstrang but also the killing of Auror James Chandler! You are accused of using one of the Unforgivable Curses, the Killing Curse, not one but twice! The reading of your wand proves this to be true.”

“Should you be found guilty to have used this heinous curse without just cause you shall be sentenced to Azkaban Prison! What have you to say for yourself?”

“I do not recall using the Unforgivable Curse of which you speak.”

Elizabeth started at the soft sound of the voice of the boy who would become her father. She had assumed that, given what she had heard about him that he would have a harsh voice, but her assumption was wrong.

“You lie!”

The girl turned to see a familiar face as the wizard who had spoken rise to his feet and knew that her face had turned white as she recognized him.

“Herbert Chandler,” she said to herself.


	6. On Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth sees more images from her past, another person wonders how Elizabeth's disappearance will affect her and a surprise appearance is not well received.

Herbert Chandler, much thinner and younger than Elizabeth had ever seen him, stood in front of the seat that he had risen from. His face was red with anger and the girl wondered if the wizard had been weeping. At first the wizard seemed to be speechless but finally he was able to talk.

“You killed my son, Beales-Armstrong; you cast one of the Unforgivable Curses and killed my only child. Don’t try to tell us that you cannot recall casting the Killing Curse because you did it twice; your wand has revealed this to the court. You should already be in Azkaban waiting for the Dementors to deliver their kiss! I personally want to be there to watch them suck the soul out of your miserable body! I personally want to hear you scream while they do it and want to listen to you begging for mercy because there shall be none. You offered no mercy to your victims and deserve not one bit of pity!”

The banging sounded once again to calm the raucous shouts of anger from the spectators that ringed the huge room.

“Mister Chandler, I need to remind you that as the father of the deceased you have no vote in this matter. You have been given the opportunity to speak to the accused only because our laws say that you are owed it.”

The young witch watched as the wizard seemed to deflate where he stood and she realized that he was holding something in his hand. An instant later she was able to determine that the item was a wand, a wand which had taken a fierce blow and was now bent and distorted beyond the point of use. She watched with incredulous eyes as the man openly wept as he held the wand before him and understood what she was seeing. The wand had to have belonged to the fallen Auror, probably purchased when the Auror had started school and very likely from Ollivander himself.

“Marcus Beales-Armstrong, what evidence can you provide that you do not recall casting the Killing Curse?”

“I can provide none, Grand Mugwump, other than my word.”

“The Legilimens that examined him found a very strange void in his memory and the use of Veritaserum provided much the same findings. There is clearly something at work here that we have yet to overcome.”

“The rascal likely had someone, as yet unknown, cast _Obliviate_ on him to remove that memory. It is a very convenient excuse for what he has done and I would submit that, given the position and stature of his family in our world, that this is exactly what happened. He is attempting to hide behind an alteration of his memory, an alteration that he himself orchestrated.”

“I did no such thing, Minister Craig-Hamston, I would never allow myself to be subjected to _Obliviate_! I have had the unfortunate experience of this before and found it quite unpleasant, so much so that I would not want to relive the happening.”

“Then how do you explain the void in your memory, Beales-Armstrong? Did you bump your head and lose your memory like a Muggle child? Or are we simply looking at someone who has managed to defeat Legilimency and Veritaserum?”

Elizabeth watched silently as her father underwent questioning and the trial would take hours. She felt many times like speaking, but when she did no one could hear her and if they did no one took notice. The girl looked across the large room to see another familiar face and realized that she was seeing Minerva McGonagall who, at this time, was the headmistress at Hogwarts. She wanted to have a chance to talk to the witch, but knew that it was impossible. The one time that she had tested whether or not she could be heard by yelling at a wizard sitting next to her, he had brushed at his ear as though an insect was buzzing in it. He had even complained to one of his companions about the insect that was pestering him.

The evidence against her father mounted and she was unfortunate in knowing what the verdict and sentence would be. Very soon, if what the portrait in the Gryffindor Common Room and Professor McGonagall had said were true, he would be found guilty and sent to Azkaban Prison. She had been told that the trial had lasted ten hours and that the verdict had been announced immediately upon the conclusion of the testimony of the witnesses. The questioning had obviously been going on longer than she believed because he was suddenly being given one last chance to address the assembly.

“Marcus Beales-Armstrong, you have heard the testimony given against you in this case. You have seen the evidence that has been gathered against you and you have had the chance to speak in your own defense. Do you have any last words before we vote on your guilt or innocence?”

“I am not lying when I say that I do not remember casting the Killing Curse. I would not willingly cast one of the Unforgivable Curses and would definitely not do it twice. I had no quarrel with either Andrei Abdulov or James Chandler and wished neither of them harm. I submit that I am not guilty of the crimes of which I have been accused, but rather I am the victim of a plot to discredit myself, my name and my family. This plot was designed by none other than Herbert Chandler and Wilfred Craig-Hamston, both of whom have long standing quarrels with my family! It is because of this that I cannot be found guilty and should be released from the custody of this assembly to go free.”

The roar of disapproval was nearly deafening in the room and many, including Elizabeth, found themselves covering their ears until the Grand Mugwump rose, drew his wand, pressed it to his throat and then yelled for order. Elizabeth glanced upward to see if the ceiling was preparing to tumble down upon them and was startled to see a great number of dark flowing shapes flying around the top of the chamber in a never ending circuit. She felt a great sadness and understood what she was seeing; the misty shapes flying above them were Dementors.

This fact was not lost on her father who would, from time to time, look up at the horrific beasts and shudder. They all knew about the Dementor’s Kiss and what it would do to an unfortunate recipient, it would leave them worse than dead, a soulless, ruined and tragic shell of what had once been a person.

A great deal of what her father was saying made sense to the young witch as she remembered being in this very room as an accused person. It was true that she had not been caged but the danger had been the same had she been found guilty. She would have spent the rest of her days rotting in Azkaban, the time going by slowly while both her mind and body withered until one or the other had failed her.

“Does the accused have anything of value beyond false accusations to present before we vote?”

“What I have presented is the truth! What this assembly does with it is up to them.”

“Very well, as there is nothing more to present I ask now for a vote. All those who believe that the accused, Marcus Beales-Armstrong, is guilty of the willful murder by the use of one of the Unforgivable Curses raise your hand.”

Elizabeth watched as a sea of hands rose into the air and could only weep as the Grand Mugwump pronounced the verdict.

“Marcus Beales-Armstrong, you have been found guilty by an overwhelming majority and are therefore sentenced to life in Azkaban Prison. You shall be taken from this place and into the custody of that prison where you shall be guarded by the Dementors. Guards, remove the convicted from this place!”

Elizabeth watched as the cage sank back into the floor and then the scene faded from her view. She awoke from the dream to find herself staring up into the darkness above her and imagining the terror that her father must have felt as he faced the possibility of having to endure the Dementor’s Kiss. But there was something very wrong with it all and she wondered what it was. Something was amiss with her dream and she was determined to learn what it was.

The Merpeople had returned to Professor Leeds with the news that the cavern entrance was sealed, just as it had been since Sebastian Trane had died. There was no evidence to suggest that the entrance had been violated and the cavern entered.

Tobias Leeds sat back in his chair as he considered what he had learned. The girl, if she was in the cavern, had learned a new way in. The portrait of Augustus Frenwhel was insistent that the entrance beyond his frame was now sealed and had been since the death of the wizard that had created the passageway. Even the portrait of Sebastian Trane himself had insisted that there was now no open entrance into the cave by the lake. The girl could not have gained entry and must be somewhere else.

A POP sounded and the headmaster turned to see one of the elves standing before him as she weaved unsteadily on her feet.

“Mimi, what have you learned from the elves in Germany?”

“Mimi has learned that those elves make wonderful ale and that there has been no sign of Miss Blackwell near the site where the tower of Gabriel Koeppler once stood. Elves are not fooled by the tricks of an Animagus and therefore she cannot be hiding in that way. Miss Blackwell is not in Germany, at least not there.”

“Thank you, Mimi.”

The elf vanished with a POP and a hiccup, leaving the headmaster to his thoughts.

‘Where did you go, Miss Blackwell, and what are you planning to do with whatever you learn?”

The castle was abuzz with the activities that made it a school as students rushed from class to class. Professors maintained their classrooms and taught their lessons, but through it all it was very apparent that someone was not where they were meant to be. Transfiguration class was progressing, although Professor McGonagall struggled to maintain the rigid standards that she had maintained for so many years and often spent her free time staring at the picture of the girl that she missed terribly.

The first years, especially Victoria Beales-Armstrong, were testing her as they perceived her unease and the veteran teacher wondered if perhaps she had made a mistake in returning to teach another term. Already many of the first years had lost numerous points for their Houses and the Prefects were kept busy dealing with issues that had to do with the errant students.

Elizabeth had been missing for only a few days and many wondered when or if she would return and what would happen when she reentered the school. Her disappearance had angered Professor Leeds, who was enraged that a Teaching Assistant would simply vanish without making an attempt to resolve the matter. Many wondered if the girl had finally lost her mind after learning the truth about her father and would even consider returning. Of all that were affected by her disappearance, Lily and Beatrice were taking it the hardest.

Lily didn’t necessarily feel betrayal or anger towards her friend, rather a sense of sympathy. She knew that it had been hard for her friend to finally work out a relationship with the man that she considered her father. Now they were close although it had been a long climb to get to that point. The situation with her real father could jeopardize that relationship and had the potential to destroy it forever. Lily could not even begin to understand what her friend was going through, her father had been there her entire life and could always be counted on to help her through whatever problem presented itself.

The young woman sat in the Library, missing the friendly whispering that she had always carried on with her best friend, much to the displeasure of the witch that ran the room. Sunlight flooded the room through the large windows as she studied her Potions assignment while she also examined notes that Beatrice had taken. Her duties as a Prefect had called her out of class on several occasions and her marks had slipped a bit, which was something that worried her. Without the stern guidance of Elizabeth she found her attentiveness sliding and had vowed to correct this.

She wondered how Albus and Rose were taking this latest development. Her brother had spent the summer thinking about his girlfriend and worrying that she would seek the company of another boy in his absence. Lily had reassured Albus in her owls from Hogwarts that Elizabeth missed him and was thinking about him constantly, giving only the barest of attention to other boys. It was clear that Elizabeth was committed to her brother and she hoped that her friend would return soon.

Beatrice was also very worried about the way that her friend had vanished. Elizabeth had always been a source of stability for others around her, always willing to offer a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen to a problem. Now she was suffering and no one knew how to solve her problem. She knew that Professor McGonagall had been hurt by Elizabeth’s abrupt attack, but had already forgiven her as she realized that the harsh words had come from pain and not animosity. The elderly professor had spoken to both of the girl’s best friends and they were prepared to weather this together.

Elizabeth had finally managed to sleep without the interruption of a dream, although she really wondered how. Somehow she had managed to drift off and had not been disturbed by the nightmares that had haunted her. She didn’t hear the strange noise that came from the entrance to the cavern that the lake guarded. Sebastian’s magic had sealed the cavern after his death and now there was no way to enter the lake. Only a small pool, the opening to which was too small to admit a Merperson, provided water from the lake and fish for Tiger.

The girl would sleep for several hours while thoughts about friends and the castle above ran through her mind and she was at peace. The presence of Tiger gave her comfort and she snuggled against the fur coat of the cat while he pressed himself against her. They slept together, secure in the fact that no one could disturb them and the knowledge that sooner or later the young woman would determine exactly what she needed to do.

She sat in her dorm room while she thought about the missing Teaching Assistant. The disappearance of the older student had thrown an organized plan into chaos as she was at Hogwarts to learn all that she could about Elizabeth and the defenses that were around her. The witch had managed to best some of the finest that the Dark Lord had to offer, even killing some of them in battle and now they had to have all of the information that they could muster to determine her weaknesses.

It was all so hard, sitting among those who didn’t know half of what she did and having to listen to the inane prattle of the professors as they “taught” her. She had a few lessons to teach as well and couldn’t wait to see the famous Elizabeth Blackwell tremble before her. She was almost giddy with the thought of destroying the one who had cost them so much, but that chance would have to wait. Elizabeth Blackwell had to return to Hogwarts, she had to reveal her weaknesses and she had to die in front of all that held her dear to them.

She trembled once again, this time not from happiness but from the strain of it all. The Dark Lord had been quite explicit in his instructions to her; prepare Elizabeth Blackwell for not only her end, but also the destruction of her family and friends. She intended to do just that because the consequences of failure did not promise to be pleasant, or survivable.

The potion that she was forced to take every day was not Poly-Juice, but something much more convincing and powerful, kept her resembling a young girl of about eleven years. The Muggle child that had been intended to get the letter informing her of her acceptance to Hogwarts and provided the hair wasn’t even aware that her likeness was attending school at a place where magic was learned. Soon the next class would begin and she would be forced to endure lessons that she had learned years before. The girl could not return soon enough to suit her, although it did concern her that the young witch had managed to escape so easily and without a trace. If she could manage that, from a castle as secure as Hogwarts, what else could she do?

She knew that Victoria Beales-Armstrong had something to do with the disappearance and she wondered what. What tie was there between the two young witches and could it prove useful to her plans? The girl rose and walked out of the dorm room to make her way to Defense against the Dark Arts and yet another boring class. She would fall in with the first years, who thought nothing of her presence, as they wound their way to the classroom where they would sit for the next hour.

Elizabeth finally awoke as Tiger brushed the top of his head against her face while he purred loudly. The peaceful sleep had refreshed her and she rose from the bed to walk out of the bed chamber and out into the main room. She knew that she had to avoid the portraits, either one would betray her presence, and so stayed out of the Library. There were enough books to keep her occupied in the room that she had just left. A table set with breakfast dishes appeared in the center of the room and Tiger appeared almost as magically to enjoy the bowl of food provided for him. Elizabeth ate quietly while she weighed her options, should she return to Hogwarts and deal with the fallout of her abrupt departure? She had no doubt that Professor McGonagall would forgive her, but wondered about Professor Leeds. He was not as forgiving and actually could be rather coarse when dealing with a student who had irritated him.

She already missed her friends and it was difficult not to be able to chat with Lily and Beatrice whenever she liked. The solitude in the box was already unbearable, even with the presence of Tiger.

“I have to go back to Hogwarts and I have to do it today! Surely Professor McGonagall will discuss things with me now that I know more about my father.”

She glanced down at the cat as he finished his meal and smiled.

“Why can’t I have a life like yours, Tiger. All that you have to worry about is whether your food bowl has been filled and your litter box emptied. We’re going home to Hogwarts today, I have some things to sort out there. I don’t need to worry about putting you back in your cage for the trip, just be a good kitty and stay out of things.”

Elizabeth, her mind made up, stepped into the water closet to bathe and then dress in clean robes before leaving that room and then crossing the main room to exit the box. The ancient silver spoon came out of her pocket after the box vanished into it and she clutched the item tightly while concentrating on the room in The Three Broomsticks and hoping that it was vacant. A moment later she was standing in the room and hurrying to leave it to cross the hall to the broom closet.

The door closed behind her and an instant later the other opened before her as she made her way back to the portrait of Augustus Frenwhel.

“Kind Frenwhel, will you please allow me to pass?”

The sleeping wizard in the portrait snorted and then slowly opened his eyes. The eyes opened wide as they recognized who stood before him.

“Miss Elizabeth, I have been most concerned about your well-being! Are you sound and in good health?”

Elizabeth smiled and then nodded.

“I am quite fine, Frenwhel, I just needed some time to think about what has happened.”

“Can I be of assistance?”

“All that I need is to go back into the castle.”

A moment later, the frame swung open and Elizabeth stepped back into the castle. After taking a deep breath she hurried up the stairs, oblivious to the stares of students that she passed along the way. She paused at the portrait of the Fat Lady and waited impatiently as the frame seemed to open incredibly slowly. The pathway finally clear, she hurried into the common room and then to her dorm room where she slid the box out of her pocket and reached in to remove the trunk that contained her belongings. Tiger saw the opening and hurried to race back into the familiar surroundings where he sprang up onto her bed.

The chiming of the clock in the tower told her that it was time for mid-day meal and she bent down to kiss the cat before his meal appeared on the floor before them. She hurried to walk out of the dorm and then down to the common room to make her way to the Great Hall.

A great many stares followed her progress and she was aware of the whispers that followed her. Lily and Beatrice were just settling down to eat when the room fell silent and they followed the stares of others to the doors that allowed entry into the chamber. A single figure stood there and it took only a moment before they realized who it was.

“Elizabeth!”

The pair left the table, followed by Hugo and several other students, and ran to surround the witch before nearly smothering her with hugs. Minerva McGonagall strode swiftly to the scene and was abruptly hugged by the recently arrived young woman.

“You’re back.”  
“I was so wrong to speak to you like that, Professor McGonagall, will you forgive me?”

“I forgave you as soon as you said what you did. You needed to know and now you do, what will you do now?”

“She will accompany me to my office!”

Those assembled around the pair could only watch as Professor Tobias Leeds stepped forward to grasp the arm of the student before the pair vanished with a POP.


	7. Of Apparitions and Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth returns and finds a school in chaos.

Tobias Leeds looked down at the student before him before speaking.

“Miss Blackwell, you had all of us concerned.”

“I know, and I apologize.”

“Are you prepared to return to your duties as a Teaching Assistant?”

“I am.”

“You aren’t going to repeat the performance are you?”

“No, sir, Professor Leeds, I learned a great deal during my absence, including how to bring something to someone’s attention before storming out and then vanishing.”

“Where did you get off to this time?”

“I really don’t want to say in case I have to go there again someday in the future. Something is very wrong, Professor Leeds, something is wrong and I just can’t put my finger on it. I need time to sort this out because I think that it could represent danger to Hogwarts.”

“Given your past premonitions about danger and the ferocity with which you have defended this school in the past I am prepared to give you some latitude in this. But please don’t ever verbally attack one of my staff members again, especially in front of other students.”

“I understand.”

“Professor McGonagall has your pin, I assume that you know the way back to the Great Hall and mid-day meal. “

“Yes, sir, I do.”

“Then off with you! I need to send an owl to your parents informing them of your return. They have been in a state of extreme distress during your absence. I assume that you shall receive a response from them very quickly.”

“Yeah, it will probably be a Howler!”

“It will be one that you very richly deserve, young lady!”

Elizabeth nodded and then hurried out of the office to return to the Great Hall and the stares of many. She raced to her normal place and settled down next to her friends while ignoring the gapes that followed her.

“Where were you?” Lily asked quickly.

“I was somewhere learning things about my past.”

“But where?”

“I was in a very dark place that I don’t want to revisit.”

“Then you weren’t in Sebastian’s cave?”

Elizabeth sat stunned as her friend spoke and her silence gave Lily the answer that she wanted.

“You were in his cave! But how did you get there? I thought that it was sealed forever.”

Elizabeth paused for a moment before answering.

“It isn’t sealed if you know how to get into it.”

“You had most of us scared to death,” Beatrice interjected.

“Sorry, I promise I won’t do it again.”

She took a bite of the chicken leg that she had picked up off of her plate and listened while her friends filled her in on what had happened during the time that she had been gone. A look at the hourglass belonging to their House told her more than she wanted to know. They were down a lot of points but, then again, so were all of the Houses.

“The first years did all of that?”

“Most of it, they just really started trying Professor McGonagall and some of the other professors after you left. Then some of the other students started in, it got so bad that they cancelled the trip to Hogsmeade for the third years. Professor Leeds was ready to start expelling people and the Isolation Tower has been busy,” Lily answered.

“They aren’t even doing Flying practice after two students nearly killed each other by fooling around on the school brooms. They flew right at each other and collided head on.”

Elizabeth winced as she thought about the impact that had to have happened and then wondered about something else.

“What about Quidditch practice?”

“Cancelled indefinitely because the students were Quidditch players! They both got kicked off of the team for Ravenclaw and each lost a hundred points. That’s why Ravenclaw is so far down on points. They almost have to look up to see down.”

The blonde girl shook her head as she reviewed the hourglasses again and then grinned.

“I have an easy way for the Houses to gain some points.”

“Make it quick please; I don’t want this to be the first term in which every House has negative numbers when they award the House Cup! I can just hear Professor Leeds announcing the name of the House that is the closest to zero being the winner while everyone else is still way down in the hole!”

The girls finished their meal and then sat talking quietly until it was time to leave for class. Transfiguration was next for them and they hurried to class to see Professor McGonagall waiting quietly for them. Elizabeth approached her favorite professor slowly and was gathered into a hug again.

“Please, Elizabeth, talk things over with me before doing that again. I was so worried about you because I knew that you didn’t mean anything that you said. I have something here that you earned but left behind in your haste.”

Elizabeth watched as the older woman opened her hand and revealed the Teaching Assistant’s pin that she had torn from her robes and thrown onto the floor. She stepped closer and allowed the professor to pin it back onto her robes and then turned to walk back to take her seat.

“Today class, we shall be journeying outside for class as the creatures that we are creating are a bit large. Each of you shall find a small box on your desk that you shall need to bring with you. Come along now!”

The class followed their teacher as she swept out of the room and were soon approaching the silent Quidditch Pitch. They walked to the center of the grassy area and soon were enlarging their circle to allow for the growth of their creations.

“Inside your boxes you shall find a cockroach, they are to be transformed into another creature which I shall allow you to decide upon. Please, nothing carnivorous or dangerous, the last time I did this in class we had to run for our lives. Anyone who produces a dragon shall fail this class for the term!”

Elizabeth looked down at the box in her hand and then grinned at Lily with mischief in her eyes. She drew her wand and then cast a very familiar spell.

“ _Ferra Vaerto!_ ”

Instantly, a very large pink rat with feathers appeared, much to the amusement of the girls and the professor who had approached to see the creation. The pink rat was suddenly accompanied by an enormous beautiful blue rat as Lily finished her incantation. Beatrice, not to be outdone, recreated the hippo-sized rat with a giraffe-like neck. Applause sounded as more and more strange creatures appeared, courtesy of highly amused sixth year students.

Elizabeth sat her box onto the ground and cast another incantation which resulted in a large house which quite resembled Hagrid’s. It was not long before a village stood on the Quidditch Pitch and the students were marveling at the handiwork of their peers as they conducted an impromptu tour of the structures. One of the boxes had become a colorful pavilion tent, complete with chairs and tables which Professor McGonagall filled with snacks.

“Excellent work, class, every one of you has earned twenty points for your House.”

“Is this what you had planned?” Lily asked her friend as they reduced their creations back to boxes and cockroaches when the class came to an end.

“This is exactly what I had planned! Just with the three of us, Gryffindor is up sixty points and there are ten of us in class. We got two hundred points in the easiest way possible.”

“Then, if you do this with every class that you help with…”

“Exactly! All of the Houses should be out of the negative numbers and into the positive.”

“You, Elizabeth, are a genius!”

“Not really, I just happen to not like negative numbers, but the term genius when applied to me does sound great.”

They were walking back towards the castle when Elizabeth saw the owl approaching her and knew what was coming.

“Uh oh!”

“What?”

“Lily, that’s my mom’s owl! I am in so much trouble; I can almost hear the Howler now!”

She watched as the owl approached and then caught the red envelope in mid-flight.

“Here we go,” she said as the owl turned and swooped away before she opened the envelope and the red paper unfolded itself.

_Elizabeth Michelle Blackwell!_

_We have all been so worried about you! Don’t you ever do anything like that again or it will be straight home from Hogwarts for you! I truly believed that you had grown up to the point that you were past all of that! To run off and not tell anyone where you were going is completely irresponsible and I shall not have it! Do you understand me, young lady? I shall expect a return owl from you tonight and only Merlin can help you if I don’t receive it._

_Please, Darling, don’t ever do anything like this again. Our hearts were broken when we thought that something had happened and that we would never see you again. I apologize to you for not telling you more than I have about your father but nothing good_   
_can come of you learning about him and his past. I promise that I shall sit down with you when I can to give you the information that I know that you want._

_We Love You,_

_Mom_

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the Howler refold itself and then disappear completely.

“I guess that I had better do some writing because I don’t want to find out what she meant when she said that only Merlin could help me if I didn’t.”

“It didn’t sound like much fun to me,” Lily answered as she looked again where the Howler had been and then shuddered. “The only time that I’ve ever gotten anything like a Howler was when I was a first year and made our dog invisible. It took a week for us to be able to see him again.”

“Why didn’t one of your parents just counter it?”

“Because he wouldn’t stay in one place long enough for them to target him, Beatrice. It was awful, especially when he came in from outside after it had rained. A wet dog is bad enough, but an invisible wet dog is terrible, you never knew when he was going to jump up on your lap.”

The girls laughed about it as they walked up to the castle and were still laughing as they reported to their study time. Elizabeth was able to stay with her friends because Professor McGonagall had seventh years at that time and had no need of a teaching assistant. She reached into her bag to pull her quill and a piece of parchment out. It was not long before she was filling it with tidy script as she wrote the demanded letter home.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I am so sorry for worrying you and I know that it was wrong of me to just vanish. I promise that I will never do anything like it again, but the trip was more than a little informative. There are things that I was able to learn that I must think about because something just isn’t right. I have that feeling again and you know that I will not rest until I figure this out for myself._

_I know that you were trying to protect me, Mom, but I hope that you will agree that I have grown up enough to be able to take whatever you are afraid to tell me. I know a lot of it and have come to terms with what I have learned about Marcus Beales-Armstrong. Please don’t feel that I need to be protected at every turn, you yourself told me this last summer that you couldn’t believe how grown up I had become and I feel quite ready to deal with whatever is thrown at me._

_Love_   
_Elizabeth_

_P.S. Please tell Grandma and Grandpa that I love them and that I am sorry for worrying them. Tell Chloe that I love her and not to worry about me._

She folded the letter and slipped it into an envelope before rising and walked briskly to Professor Leeds, who was supervising the students.

“Professor Leeds, I need to send an owl to my parents. May I be excused?”

“Have you caught up on what you missed, Miss Blackwell?”

“Not entirely because I haven’t seen all of my professors, I promise that I shall go out and then come right back.”

“Very well, but you need to hurry.”

“Thank you, Professor Leeds.”

The professor watched as the student hurried out of the Great Hall on a direct course for the Owlery where the girl knew that she would find a number of owls waiting for an assignment. Elizabeth made good on her promises, both to her parents and to Professor Leeds, and was soon hurrying back to the Great Hall and her work. She was soon settling down to the assignments that she had missed, courtesy of Lily and Beatrice, and began to work steadily.

She was relieved that there hadn’t been much in Defense against the Dark Arts, merely a lot of reading as well as a parchment which needed to be titled Apparitions and their Uses. The girl grimaced as she wondered about how anyone could possibly have a use for an apparition. Clearly her classmates were having the same problem because a quick glance at Lily's parchment revealed that it too was empty. She glanced at the door to the Great Hall and was pleased to see Professor Grims entering the chamber. He noticed her immediately and walked towards the table where she sat with her friends.

“Miss Blackwell, I am most pleased to see you back in school. I am also pleased that you did not miss much in class. It is my assumption that your friends have told you about the assignments.”

“Yes, Professor Grims, but I am a bit puzzled.”

“What are you puzzled about, Miss Blackwell?”

“There are uses for apparitions?”

“Certainly! Some of the best defended places are prowled by apparitions. Their presence has foiled more than one attempt at thievery by wizards and Muggles alike! I would think that someone who is as well read as you would know that.”

“I read a Muggle book once in which the characters pretended to be apparitions to defend their gold.”

“And did their attempts succeed?”

“Only until one of them tripped over a rock and fell in front of someone that they were trying to fool.”

“Well, true apparitions do not have that problem, Miss Blackwell. They would simply float through the rock. I would be most interested in reading that Muggle book, however, it sounds most intriguing.”

“I can get it to you tomorrow in class, but I have to warn you that the pictures don’t move at all, unless you turn the page.”

“That is very odd! I take it that you have a bit of experience with Muggle artifacts.”

“Just books, I find them fascinating.”

“Excellent! Perhaps you should take Muggle Studies at mid-term.”

“Actually, Professor Grims, I had already planned to continue doing that.”

“You have already been doing it?”

“Professor Bellins has been tutoring me during summer break.”

“Ah, yes, Amelia Bellins, she was a favorite student of mine. I always knew that she would do well. Now she is the head of the Department of Magical Studies, but you already knew that. There aren’t many P.E.T.S. students here at Hogwarts, as a matter of fact I cannot think of any but you. The other two finished their studies here two terms ago.”

Elizabeth smiled as the elderly professor rambled on for a while. It gave her the opportunity to begin to fill her parchment with her ideas on the use of an apparition. The Muggle book that she had read made the job easy and she was soon far outpacing Lily and Beatrice, much to their dismay.

His rambling concluded the old wizard walked away from their table to begin rambling to the occupants of another. The girls watched with amusement and then turned back to their own conversation.

“I think that he has slipped a bit since last term.”

“When you’re the age that he is you’ll slip too, Elizabeth,” Lily countered.

“How old is he, anyway?”

“A century plus is all that I know. He’s really very kind and my parents have him over frequently for dinner. He wants to retire but keeps getting called back because they can’t find anyone that can do the job the way that he can.”

“Well, at least he gave us a clue about the assignment and I have some more Muggle books for us to look at. There are all sorts of ideas in them.”

When the students were dismissed the girls hurried back up to the dorm and the stack of Muggle books that Elizabeth had brought from home. With Flying Practice on hold, they had yet another chance to study and were soon scanning through the tomes, often giggling at what they read.

“These books are great, Elizabeth, can I read this one?”

“Sure, Beatrice, read whichever one that you like. I’ve read them all about five or six times each. Once you get past the idea that the pictures don’t move they’re okay.”

“You could always enchant the pictures so they can move,” Lily offered.

“I thought about that, but I think that it would take something away from the charm of the books.”

“You are so mental, Elizabeth, funny but mental,” Lily answered.

Their laughter rang through the room and it wasn’t long before Tiger joined them by jumping up onto Elizabeth’s bed and settling down in the center of the scattered books. The girls would work until it was time to walk back down to the Great Hall and the evening meal.

“Elizabeth,” Lily said as they walked back down the stairs.

“Yes.”

“Are you really going to marry Albus?”

“Just as soon as I finish here at Hogwarts, why do you ask?”

“No reason, I’m just glad that I’ll finally have a sister. Being the only girl with two brothers is horrible, especially when they’re older than you are. I can still remember having to watch James and then Albus leave on the Hogwarts Express but having to stay on the platform. It was so horrible.”

“I never had to do that when my sister left. They used a Portkey to go to Beauxbatons and I wasn’t permitted to go along, courtesy of Anne. She didn’t want me anywhere near her when she left and made me a pariah when I did arrive at the school. “

“That’s horrible.”

The trio walked down the stairs until they got to the bottom and then stopped short when they encountered a large crowd. The students were standing at the doors into the Great Hall as they looked into the room as if they were afraid to enter.

“What’s going on?” Elizabeth asked a student who had been able to look into the room.

“Ice!”

“What did you say?”

“Ice, the whole room is full of ice.”

Intrigued, Elizabeth managed to push to the front of the crowd and then stared into the room as she saw what the others before her had. The entire interior of the giant room was coated with ice and not a single surface was unaffected. Large icicles hung down from the trusses and banners while the fiery braziers dripped a steady flow of melted water onto the floor beneath them. Large stalagmites of ice rose from the icy floor to nearly touch the bottom of the hot metal containers.

Professor Leeds pushed his way to the front of the crowd and then turned to face his students for a moment before speaking.

“I should imagine that you are all a bit puzzled by the scene before you but the explanation is really quite simple. Someone in this school has managed to alter the weather outside and the atmosphere within the castle.”

Elizabeth looked past the headmaster at the scene before her once again and then turned away with her face in her hands. She finally turned back around to see several people looking at her strangely.

“Miss Blackwell, I take it that you have an idea about the identity of the culprit.”

“Yes, Professor Leeds, I do.”

“Then perhaps you would be so kind as to enlighten us all.”

“Marcus Beales-Armstrong, my natural father.”


	8. Disappointments and a Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth and the other students try to figure out who is responsible for the ice in the Great Hall while another tries to determine the best way to deal with Elizabeth.

Headmaster Tobias Leeds reacted as though struck when the girl announced the name of the wizard that she suspected to be responsible for the dilemma. He remembered the name and had even been told about the relationship of the wizard to the young witch in front of him.

He gaped a second time as the girl drew her wand and dispelled the ice from the room within. She turned and looked at him as her suspicions grew.

“That wouldn’t have been so easy if I hadn’t known who was responsible. I am quite certain that he is the person that did this, although I am not certain how or why.”

“How can you be so certain, Elizabeth?” a voice asked from behind her and she turned to see Minerva McGonagall standing in an area now cleared of students.

“Professor, I found a number of notes that he wrote that my mother had preserved. He was most interested in affecting the weather and I believe that he has done this before.”

“When?”

“The day that he killed Andrei Abdulov and James Chandler, this was when he did it before.”

“How can you be so certain?”

“Because Abdulov and Chandler died in August and it was almost a blizzard when they were killed. I was there in a vision that I had, I saw the whole thing. I wanted to be certain so I checked with the Ministry to verify the date of their deaths and the Hall of Records told me what I needed to know. The blizzard that affected that area that night was not natural.”

“Very well, as this room now appears to be safe for use I shall allow the students to enter.”

“Professor, I wish to be the first to enter the Great Hall,” Elizabeth announced.

“Why?”

“I am not totally certain that it is truly safe and I want to be sure.”

“Why would it be safe for you and not others?”

“It would be safe for me because I’m his daughter.”

“I still wonder about it.”

“Professor, a moment ago you were prepared to let all students enter the Great Hall. I am asking you to delay that for just a few seconds until I am satisfied that you are correct.”

“Very well, Miss Blackwell, you may enter the Great Hall.”

All eyes watched as the girl stepped past the headmaster and then into the Great Hall. She walked slowly around the perimeter of the room and then back up the center aisle until she stood behind the High Table. She then left her position and walked back to the side of the headmaster.

“I don’t feel any danger, Professor Leeds. I think that it is safe enough.”

A few minutes later the Great Hall was filled with chattering students as the tables rapidly filled, but many minds were considering what they had seen and what they had heard. Few had ever heard about Marcus Beales-Armstrong, but the reaction that Professors Leeds and McGonagall had displayed worried them all. Was it truly safe to be where they were?

One mind was not filled with dread at all; she sat quietly at her seat while she ate and watched the Teaching Assistant from afar. It had taken bravery and skill on the part of the young witch to do what she had done. The ice had been the easy part, it was the uncertainty of the true safety of what she had been about to do that told her observer that Elizabeth was not going to be as easy to defeat as she had believed. Elizabeth had resourcefulness on her side which was something that made her a dangerous foe, but it would also make her a powerful ally if she could be convinced to join them.

Elizabeth was uneasy, only part of what she had said had been the truth. While it had been true that her father wanted to be able to control the weather, she didn’t truly believe that he was responsible for what had happened in the Great Hall. There had to be something else at work here, she knew that it definitely wasn’t Peeves, it would have been much more difficult to dispel if it had been. While the poltergeist wasn’t particularly talented with magic, he tended to create obstacles to frustrate anyone that attempted to dispel his tricks.

As she ate her meal, the girl chatted happily with her friends while also scanning the tables for anything out of place. She looked down at her plate again as she remembered the first time that she had sat at this table after being sorted into Gryffindor. Elizabeth had always felt herself fortunate to be in the House where she felt the most welcomed. It had been at this very table that she had met Albus after Rose and Lily had set the whole thing up. They had been a couple since, with only a hiccup or two since their meeting, and intended to be married once she finished school.

The meal vanished, only to be replaced a moment later by dessert, how the elves knew when to send up the sweets was a mystery. Still, no one could remember a time when students complained about dessert arriving. Elizabeth looked at the arrayed food and felt a tear run down her face as she saw the bowl of Cherry Crisp on the table and remembered the light hearted jousting that she and Albus had always carried on concerning it. She dipped some of it onto her plate and then took a bite while she thought to herself.

_‘I’ll never forget the teasing that we did when we ate this, Albus. I love and miss you so much.’_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang and a nearly blinding flash of light that originated from the tables of Hufflepuff. Screams of panic erupted as students attempted to flee the area and when Elizabeth was able to see again she saw a huge blackened area in the center of one of the tables and many students with robes stained by flying desserts. The source was easy enough to discern, a second year who wanted more of a particular dessert had attempted to make the container of it grow. All had been well until the vessel that contained it exploded, showering many with dessert and pieces of the container. No one had been injured, but a great many nerves had been jangled and the House had lost fifty points that it could not afford to. Professor Leeds had hurried to the area and now was walking back to the High Table after dealing with the student. As he walked away he had cast a casual spell which had repaired the damage and cleaned up the mess.

She watched as Elizabeth spoke to her friends as she wondered how to split the trio up. The group was extremely tight-knit and would be difficult at best to splinter. That Elizabeth was engaged to Albus Potter was known and that complicated things. The closeness of the girl to not only the daughter of Harry Potter but also her engagement to his son made her a hard target, but the fact that the Dark Lord had chosen her specifically for this assignment was a high honor.

The trio of Gryffindor girls suddenly rose and then walked towards the exit and she knew that once again her target had slipped away from her.

 _‘No matter,’_ she thought, _‘the time will come when she will be alone with me and then it will be a tragic occurrence for her. She will either agree to do the master’s bidding or watch her family and friends die.’_

The group of girls hurried up the stairs, forced to pause now and then when the stairs decided to move in front of them. When they finally arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady they weren’t surprised when the portly woman in the picture refused to let them pass.

“Password?”

“Godric’s Grand!”

The password that was spoken by all three girls in unison had the desired effect and they were soon walking into the common room beyond. Even though Elizabeth had already seen the room she was amazed that it was just as beautiful as always. This was despite the fact that Albus had told her that the tower had been completely destroyed during the attack by the Inferi that Koeppler had unleashed. Tiger ran down the stairs from the dorm to greet his owner and also to be rewarded with whatever she had brought to him. He rubbed against the girls while they ran their fingers over his fur until Elizabeth broke the spell by placing the chicken on a plate that had appeared next to the mantle.

“Can you believe what happened at the Hufflepuff table? They can’t afford to lose five points, let alone fifty,” Lily said while she watched the cat eat.

“It definitely defeated the purpose of what I did in Transfiguration,” Elizabeth lamented. “I had hoped that the points issue would kind of go away.”

“Speaking of going away, what happened down in the Great Hall?” Beatrice interrupted.

“I’m not certain, Beatrice.”

“But you told them that it was your father, Elizabeth.” Lily said quickly.

“I was lying, Lily, I don’t know who is responsible or even if they are here at Hogwarts, but I know that it wasn’t my father.”

“I’m confused, Elizabeth, you said the name of a wizard down there but I didn’t recognize it.”

“You mean Marcus Beales-Armstrong? He’s my real father. John Blackwell just raised me as his own child and gave me his last name. He’s the only father that I’ve ever known and I love him.”

“I guess that I have a lot to be thankful for,” Beatrice answered. “My father is my father. I can’t imagine what it must be like for you.”

“It’s been quite easy, actually. My father loves me and I love him and we have finally found each other and I could not be happier. Blood doesn’t matter when you love the other person as much as we love each other. I wouldn’t care if Marcus Beales-Armstrong were to walk up to me right now and introduce himself to me, he’s not my father.”

The conversation ended as the portrait opened to allow other Gryffindors to enter the room and the girls were soon walking up the stairs to the dorm that they occupied. Tiger raced up the stairs ahead of them and they found him standing outside the closed door waiting impatiently. Elizabeth stooped to gather her cat into her arms and then bury her nose into his fur as she followed Lily into the dorm.

“I don’t know why Mother wants me to have an owl; I do just fine with my cat.”

“But he can’t transport messages,” Lily answered as she slipped off her robes.

“I can use the school owls for that! Tiger is much softer than any old owl and I don’t want to wake and find owl droppings and pellets all over my bed. He knows where the litter box is.”

She ruffled the fur of the cat once again as she changed into her bed clothing before sliding under the covers only to be joined an instant later by her pet. They fell asleep not long after that and were unaware of what was transpiring far from their bed.

Not far from the Potions classroom Janelle Harkins, the new Slytherin fifth year Prefect, was making her rounds when she spotted movement in the shadows. A thrill of excitement coursed over her as she considered the wonderful possibility of taking points from Gryffindor if the errant student was from that House. Obviously the person was trying to hide from her and she drew her wand as she approached her quarry.

“Hogwarts Prefect, come out where I can see you!”

The response to her command was a searing bolt of energy that struck her in the chest and she folded to collapse onto the cold stone floor of the corridor where she would lay until one of her counterparts happened upon her an hour later.

“All too easy,” was the hate-filled mutter as the small girl vanished into the dark shadows that populated the lower spaces of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

As she walked through the darkened corridors and spaces, she was all too aware that the game that she was engaged in was dangerous to say the least. If the girl that had been targeted became alerted to her presence the battle would not go well. She was acutely aware of the capabilities of Elizabeth Blackwell, especially given her accomplishments in the past. The dismissive way that she had handled the ice in the Great Hall had not even seemed to test the girl.

She walked past the long unused classrooms through corridors that were at times nearly choked with spider webs and she tripped occasionally on long fallen debris. There was little danger of encountering anyone down here as only the Prefects on patrol journeyed down into the darkness, for the long unused areas were off-limits to other students, still she needed to be alert. The fifth year that she had encountered above had been simple to deal with but a more experienced student might actually be able to inflict harm upon her.

The darkness seemed to enfold her as she traveled downwards and farther into the abandoned area of Hogwarts. She was very nearly to her destination when she collided with something invisible. She reached out to examine the barrier and realized that the magical shield around and below the castle had been extended. No doubt she was experiencing a remnant of the defenses that had been put into place during the attack by Koeppler’s Inferi. Cursing silently she considered drawing her wand and assaulting the shield, but that would draw attention and if it was intended that the barrier still be there its destruction would bring investigation.

Clearly, the only way for her to leave the castle without drawing attention was to leave the way that she had entered, through the front doors. But how could someone who was supposed to be a first year leave without permission? She knew that others had managed the trick, but how had they done it? Did the ancient tunnels still exist or had they been destroyed completely when Severus Snape had been the Headmaster and the Carrows in charge of discipline?

A whisper of sound reached her ears and alerted her to the fact that she was not alone within the shadows. She backed into a corner as she tried to conceal herself and the first of the tremors started. This was bad timing, experiencing the first of her transformation by to her normal appearance while trying to hide from someone that was approaching her. There would be no chance of explaining away her presence and the tremors were clear to anyone who happened to see her at this time. She moved farther back into the darkness as a light appeared down the corridor and faint figures appeared beyond it.

“Are you certain that she will be okay?”

“That’s what the old bat said, what I want to know is how a first year managed to take out a fifth year and a Slytherin at that!”

“It was likely a Gryffindor and hit her from behind, their like that you know, goody-two shoes on the outside when everyone is looking and a sneak when no one can see them. We all know that Blackwell is like that, all that she has to do is cry a little or disappear for a few days and the whole castle falls apart! Maybe it’s her down here, she got a nip of Poly-Juice that went a bit sour and she’s gone loopy.”

The laughter of the pair of Slytherin students echoed through the corridors as they moved onward during their search. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest as the tremors intensified and she knew that very soon her face would begin to change back to its normal appearance. If the students found her during that phase she would be defenseless and easily captured.

She was scarcely aware of her surroundings as the transformation progressed and could feel her flesh begin to shift over her bones. The voices and light were getting closer and she managed to gather her composure long enough to use her wand. Far away, deep within the shadows of the warren of tunnels, a crash echoed through the emptiness.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know but let’s get there, if it is Blackwell I want to be the one that catches her.”

The pair of Prefects hurried in the direction of the disturbance and was soon out of sight. She scarcely breathed until the light from the wand vanished into the distance. Frantically, she dipped her hand into the pocket of the robes that she wore and fished out a flask that she unstopped and then raised to her lips. The familiar harsh sting of the potion soothed her and she felt herself returning to the form of an eleven year old girl.

“Next time, children, you won’t be so fortunate when you encounter me in the dark. I’m not as forgiving as my sibling is.”

Frustrated at her failure she turned and hurried back through the castle and was soon skirting past the ever present Prefect patrols. She entered the dorm room that she had been assigned to and was soon climbing into bed. It was then, and only then, that she released the enchantment that had put her dorm mates into a deep sleep.

“Tomorrow, I’m going to find a way out of this castle and into the presence of the Dark Lord. There is much that he needs to know.”

She settled under the covers and soon was fast asleep as the last of the effects of the potion ended. Her roommates would never realize that she had exited the room after being told to go to bed or that she had cast a spell far beyond anything that she could possibly know.

The Prefects, far below in the darkness, searched in vain for the source of the noise that had attracted them. After several hours of searching for the girl that had attacked their friend they finally surrendered to the fact that whoever she was, she had managed to escape without being noticed. All that they could hope was that their friend would recognize the girl when they were all in the Great Hall and could point her out.

Victoria Trane-Blackwell read her daughter’s owl with relief. Her child was okay and back in Hogwarts where she belonged. The witch firmly believed that her daughter had managed to find her way into Sebastian’s cavern and thus had been quite safe, but the occurrence unnerved her. Her daughter was a target, she knew that, and the tendency of the child to simply vanish made her difficult to keep track of.

Anne had a lot to do with her sister’s difficulties; Victoria had seen the evidence over the years even though her younger daughter had forgiven her sibling. Elizabeth had done all that she could to hide the fact that she still carried deep emotional scars and this worried her mother. The healing with John had done wonders for the girl and Elizabeth now had a wonderful relationship with the man that she knew as her father. That the girl would seek out her natural father was a given, as her curiosity was intense, and Victoria wondered what would happen when they met.

A screech caught her attention and she glanced at the owl that they had purchased for Elizabeth. The girl needed it, she couldn’t depend solely on the owls that belonged to the school and this one had come from Eeylops Owl Emporium on Diagon Alley. Although she had tried to act as though she wasn’t interested in the bird, Elizabeth had been seen casting longing glances at it on the day that they had gone to buy her school books and other supplies for the term.

“Tomorrow, Stormy, you’re going to Hogwarts to deliver this to Elizabeth,” she said as she held up an envelope. “I guess that you’ll just have to stay with her.”

The owl hooted softly before closing its eyes and falling asleep in preparation for the next day.


	9. Owls and Swallowtail Ground Hornets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth receives a gift, has an important information giving conversation and demonstrates her will in class.

Elizabeth sat quietly in the Great Hall while she worked, not on her own work, but marking the work of the second years. She grimaced as she read the work of some and smiled while she examined the work of others. Lily watched with amusement while her friend worked and Elizabeth finally looked up to notice that she was being watched. Both Beatrice and Lily were grinning broadly at their friend.

“What?” she asked with mild annoyance.

“You should have seen some of the faces that you were making while you were marking those parchments. They were really quite hilarious at times,” Lily answered.

“You are both so lucky that I’m not the Teaching Assistant for our year,” Elizabeth replied as she tucked the parchments and marking quill into her bag.

“Does that quill immediately send the mark to Professor McGonagall’s book?” Beatrice asked.

“As soon as I write it shows up in her record book.”

“Talk about instant trouble for someone who didn’t do well on an assignment. I thought that Umbridge’s quill would have been bad, but that thing sounds thoroughly wicked.”

“Beatrice, it might seem wicked but at least this one doesn’t dig whatever you write into the back of your hand.”

The flutter of wings above them drew their attention to the many owls that were beginning to soar into the chamber.

“Looks like its mail time,” Lily announced as owls started dropping parcels to their recipients.

Elizabeth watched as the owls soared over the tables steering unerringly towards their destinations and was surprised when an unfamiliar owl soared to her and then landed on the table in front of her to deliver an envelope. Instead of taking flight after she had accepted the envelope, the owl remained where it was and the girl began to understand what was happening as she finally recognized the bird in front of her. It was the very one that she had admired that day at Diagon Alley and she knew what the letter in the envelope said.

_Dear Elizabeth,_

_Your father and I have decided that you truly need an owl. We saw the way that you looked at it the day that we were in Diagon Alley to get your school supplies and knew that it was the one. The clerk said that it is quite safe around Tiger but, if you are still truly concerned, it could stay in the Owlery._

_It’s a female and we used the name Stormy as you had said that was what you would name an owl if you ever got one._

_Love,_   
_Mom and Dad_

“I guess that I have an owl now,” Elizabeth said as the letter refolded itself and then slid back into the envelope. She reached forward to gently run her fingers over the feathers of the raptor and was rewarded with a gentle nibble from the animal. She gazed into the large eyes of the bird and was amazed at what she saw in them.

“She is so beautiful, inside and out.”

“What do you mean, Elizabeth,” Lily asked.

“I don’t know, I mean you can see that she’s beautiful but there was something when I looked into her eyes. It was almost like I was looking into her soul.”

The other girls looked at the creature on the table in front of them while others around the room cast admiring glances at the owl that had just become Elizabeth’s. Elizabeth reached into her pocket and withdrew an owl treat that she had intended to give to her mother’s owl when it delivered her mail.

“I guess that you get these treats now, Stormy.”

The owl accepted the treat and then took flight to make her way to the Owlery. Elizabeth watched the bird go and knew that she would soon be settled into a roost with the other owls that lived in the structure. Despite its rather decrepit appearance, the owls within the building were actually quite comfortable as the temperature within stayed at a constant temperature.

None of the students quite understood the magical relationship between themselves and the owls that helped them communicate. It was a form of innate magic that did not need a wand or an incantation, it just worked. One could send an owl a long distance to deliver a message and it would unerringly, in most cases, fly to the intended person. Occasionally an owl would get confused and get lost but would, sooner or later, find their way to their destination. They also seemed to understand when they were needed and would sometimes appear at the table of their owner to wait for a message to deliver.

Elizabeth turned her attention to the Potions assignment in front of her and opened her parchment to put a few final touches on it. The last thing that she needed was to have Professor Tindwell get angry because a Teaching Assistant had neglected her own studies and was unprepared for class. Gryffindor had managed to build a respectable lead in points and none of its members wanted to lose any. The young witch was oblivious to the fact that she was being observed from across the room.

She watched from her table as the sixth year girl worked on her parchment and chatted with her friends while the children around her yammered on about their trivial problems. The noise was nearly deafening and she wanted so badly to cast a bind on their mouths but knew that it would reveal her true nature. She had to sit and listen to what they were saying, and try to act interested.

Tobias Leeds walked quietly between the rows of tables while the students studied. He glanced at Elizabeth Blackwell and thought about what the young woman had said to him. She felt uneasy about something here at Hogwarts and he wondered if there was anything to be worried about. The girl had mentioned that she felt as if she was a magnet for trouble and he had to admit that she had been at the center of more than her share. Still, she hadn’t caused any of the trouble, Monique LeBlanc, the followers of the Dark Lord and Gabriel Koeppler had done all of that. She had merely been the unfortunate recipient of their attentions.

The bell in the tower began to toll and the students rose to walk to their next class just as Meredith Weasley announced her feelings to the room.

“I don’t want her marking my parchments, Professor Leeds; she doesn’t have the right to. It’s not like she is a professor, she’s just the same crybaby that managed to get a new pin for her robes. What does it take to get to the level that she is? How much do I have to whimper and cry to get what she has? Is it because she has pretty blonde hair and bright blue eyes? Would she get the same if she looked like a troll?”

A gasp resounded from the students that were rising from the Slytherin table as the emeralds that they had managed to win back began to decrease in number. This continued until they were fifty fewer than they had been and Meredith found herself the target of several murderous glares from Slytherin students. She stopped talking and hurried to remove herself from the company of Housemates that truly looked like they intended murder.

Elizabeth and her friends, along with many others, watched as the girl hurried from the room before leaving themselves. Elizabeth parted from her friends to walk to the Transfiguration classroom and the group of first years hurried to catch up with the older girl as they made their way to class. Some of them were still highly frightened of the prospect of encountering Peeves and had heard that the poltergeist was rather respectful of the Teaching Assistant that they were following. They were nearly to the classroom when the poltergeist appeared in front of them.

“Looky, looky, Old Peevsie has found Bizzy Lizzy and a bunch of Ickle Firsties! What fun we can have if Bizzy Lizzy will just turn her back for a minute or two!”

“Peeves,” Elizabeth responded, “leave them alone or you’ll find yourself frozen in a planter again. Maybe this time I’ll leave you in there for the entire term.”

The poltergeist almost looked for a moment like he was trying to decide whether or not to try the resolve of the witch that had frozen him in a planter for several weeks the previous term. Finally, after blowing an enormous raspberry, he vanished and left the first years unmolested.

The gathered younger students, save one, breathed a sigh of relief as the group resumed their trip to Transfiguration. They found Professor McGonagall waiting for them and the students were soon settling into their seats while Elizabeth busied herself pulling the marked parchments from her bag. She then reached into a container to withdraw several toothpicks from it and then walked about the room depositing the items in front of the students. When she had finished she looked up at the professor and nodded.

“Class, Miss Blackwell has just given each of you a toothpick; you shall be attempting today to transfigure them into a ruler. Miss Blackwell, will you please demonstrate for the class?”

Elizabeth drew her wand and then picked up one of the toothpicks before casting a familiar incantation while also concentrating on what she wanted. An instant later she was holding a ruler in the hand which had held the toothpick.

“Well done, Miss Blackwell, now if you would return it to the correct form please.”

The Slytherin student to whom the toothpick/ruler belonged was disappointed as the toothpick was returned to him and placed on the desk in front of him. He could only watch as the older student walked away from his place and then look back down at the toothpick with apprehension. It was already clear, even after these few days in class, that Transfiguration was not his forte. He had managed to accidently Transfigure his desk into a rather odd looking chair the day before and had been unable to reverse it. This had not cost him points, but did have the effect of him having to come back to class for extra practice during his free time.

“Several of you may have heard some older students questioning Miss Blackwell’s capabilities and right to be a Teaching Assistant, but I can assure you that she is more than qualified for the position. I would not feel worried if she had to teach class in my absence and, with that said, Miss Blackwell I want you to teach this class today.”

Elizabeth had never quite understood the Muggle saying about butterflies in one’s stomach before that time but now the feeling was there in full force. She walked between the rows of desks as she observed her students and stopped suddenly when it fully hit her. These were her students! Professor McGonagall sat quietly at the desk while she marked parchments and, although Elizabeth knew that the older woman was watching her, made no move to interrupt the class. She allowed her student to teach the class and was impressed with the job that the young woman was doing, even though it was very obvious that Elizabeth was nervous.

Mercifully, the class went smoothly with only minor hiccups that were easily dealt with. The students soon became at ease with the older student that they had been entrusted to. Only one watched the girl with contempt as she thought terrible thoughts.

_‘Elizabeth, would you be so confident if you realized who was sitting in this room? Would you be able to teach these children if you knew that I could kill you with a single curse? I want you to find out who I am someday, because I want to duel you and show you what defeat and fear truly feel like. Then we shall see who the teacher truly is! That day will come soon enough, Elizabeth Blackwell, and then all will watch as I give you a choice, serve the Dark Lord or be destroyed.’_

The class finally ended and Elizabeth watched as the first class that she had taught hurried out into the courtyard beyond the classroom doors. One seat remained occupied and she walked towards Victoria Marcus-Beales with hesitation. The girl didn’t move as the Teaching Assistant neared her and Elizabeth understood that the girl wanted to talk to her.

“Can I help you, Victoria?”

“I wanted to talk to you, Elizabeth. Professor McGonagall said that she would run the next class in the courtyard so I can.”

Elizabeth became aware of Minerva McGonagall gathering her things and then hurrying out of the room but not before whispering something to her.

“Now is your chance, Elizabeth, use it to your advantage.”

Elizabeth watched as the doors closed and then sat down next to the first year girl. Victoria didn’t move except to watch the approach of the older child.

“What did you want to talk about, Victoria?”

“Elizabeth, I know who you are.”

“Who am I, Victoria?”

“You’re my older sister by our father. But I think that you already knew that, didn’t you?”

“I suspected it, Victoria. I knew that my father wasn’t my birth father, but he has raised me as his daughter and has given me his last name. I also knew the name of my birth father even though we have never met. I knew what he had done in the past and my mother tried to shield me from it. She refused to tell me everything about him, but I have discovered a lot. Do you mind if I ask you how he found out that I exist and where I was going to school?”

“I can’t tell you how he knows that you exist, but the name Elizabeth Blackwell is well known in our world and your picture has been in many of our papers. We look a lot alike, Elizabeth, and all that he had to do was think about what the name of your mother’s husband was.”

“He knew that my mother was married…”

“When they made you, yes. They loved each other intensely and then she threw him out of her life before he learned that she was with child.”

“What does he want, Victoria?”

“Nothing, Elizabeth, he wants nothing.”

“I’m confused.”

“I know, but in time everything will be answered.”

“What do you want, Victoria.”

“I want nothing more than to be your friend, if not your sister, Elizabeth.”

“I think that I would like that, Victoria.”

“I would, too.”

The pair of girls hugged abruptly and then pulled apart as Elizabeth rose.

“I need to get you to class, Victoria, I’ll make certain that you get there without getting into trouble.”

The second years in the courtyard watched as the door to the classroom opened and then Elizabeth led the smaller girl towards the door that led into the main part of the castle. They would wind through familiar corridors while Elizabeth felt something very unfamiliar. She had always had a sister, but Anne had cast her aside because of the fact that they had different fathers. Now this younger girl had entered her life and, although they had different mothers, she could find no reason to shun Victoria. She would not be like Anne!

She left the girl at the entrance to the next classroom after informing an irritated professor the reason for the student being tardy and then walked back to the courtyard to help with the second years. Meredith watched with venom in her eyes as the sixth year joined Professor McGonagall in instructing them.

“Why do we have to listen to her, Professor McGonagall? She’s just a student like us, I don’t care how many pins you put on her robes!”

“Miss Weasley, I have asked Miss Blackwell to be my Teaching Assistant because she has, on several occasions, shown great ability in Transfiguration. She is more than capable of teaching this class and will be doing just that periodically. Yes, I have that much confidence in her. Do not fool yourself into believing that I will take your side against her unless there is exceptional evidence of wrongdoing on her part.”

Elizabeth stood silently until the professor looked at her as if she wanted her to continue the class.

“Miss Blackwell, you examined their parchments this morning and gave them marks. Do you have anything to say about the performance that you witnessed on those parchments?”

“Professor, many of the parchments that I marked were very well done and this told me that the students responsible for them were paying attention. The others were so badly done that they would barely reach the level of troll. Those students need to redo the parchments before tomorrow for any chance at credit!”

“Class, Miss Blackwell is quite correct in her assessment of the performance of some of you. Those who did not achieve an acceptable mark shall redo the assignment by class tomorrow. Miss Blackwell shall return those parchments to you for your review or redo.”

Elizabeth stepped forward to draw her wand and then the stack of parchments began to dissipate as the individual parchments flew to their owners. Groans began to be audible as students examined their marks and many grumbles could be heard throughout the class. Meredith looked at the mark at the top of the parchment and her eyes widened as she saw a brief, but blunt, explanation written there in ink that flashed bright red.

**“ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU READ THE ASSIGNMENT AND PAID ATTENTION IN CLASS?”**

**“THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND MUST BE REDONE!”**

The girl looked at Elizabeth once more and then rose as she tore the parchments into shreds which she then dropped onto the grass of the courtyard.

“I won’t redo it, Elizabeth Blackwell, I won’t redo it and you cannot make me! I don’t care how many points you take from Slytherin, I won’t redo it!”

Elizabeth looked calmly at first the mess on the grass and then at the girl was glaring at her defiantly before speaking.

“I’m not taking any points from Slytherin, Meredith.”

“See everyone, all that you have to do is stand up to her and she folds. Some Teaching Assistant you are, Blackwell, a sixth year that is afraid of a second year.”

Elizabeth looked at the girl for a moment and then turned to the class before speaking.

“Slytherins, I am not going to take points from your House because of the immature behavior of one student!”

Gasps sounded as the words struck home and then would be repeated when Elizabeth continued.

“Meredith Weasley, you may gather your things and report immediately to Professor Leeds. Should you refuse to do so, and I sincerely hope that you do, I shall take you there myself and you shall not like the experience one bit, although I shall highly!”

It was a side of Elizabeth that none of the students had ever seen before and suddenly they were very frightened of the sixth year. Elizabeth drew her wand and waved it at the shredded parchment only to watch the pieces reassemble themselves and then fly to her hand. She looked at the still defiant Meredith, who was trying to garner support from others.

“Meredith, do you wish to walk up there on your own and under your own power? Or do I need to take you up there myself? Please tell me that I have to take you because I will enjoy it immensely if I have to.

The girl looked once again at her classmates and then at the immobile professor before looking at the sixth year that was clearly at the end of her patience. The wand in Elizabeth’s hand was not wavering and she knew that the older girl was planning something very unpleasant for her if she refused the directive.

“Miss Blackwell, I need to remind you that we never use Transfiguration as a punishment at Hogwarts,” Professor McGonagall said as the sixth year tightened the grip that she had on the wand..

“I don’t need to Transfigure _her_ , Professor McGonagall. The Swallowtail Ground Hornets that I am going to summon will more than happily chase her to the office of Professor Leeds.”

“Swallowtail Ground Hornets? I am not familiar with them, Miss Blackwell.”

“Neither am I, but I have to call them something.”

The students watched as the wand in the hand of the girl waved and a group of butterflies nearby suddenly began to change. Their beautiful wings became smaller and clear while their bodies changed into something much more ferocious looking and they suddenly took aim on Meredith as they rocketed towards her. The girl shrieked and bolted from the scene with the insects hot in pursuit of her. The swarm would herd her to the destination that Elizabeth desired.

Meredith, shrieking as she went, fairly ran up to the office of Tobias Leeds to find the headmaster and Elizabeth waiting for her. An insistent drone outside the office door told the girl that the insects were waiting for her.

“She tried to kill me, Professor Leeds, she made those things and they tried to kill me.”

“Miss Blackwell did no such thing Miss Weasley, but I do have to admit that she did produce a rather original way to herd someone up to my office. It was quite amusing and I shall remember it for a long time.”

“They could have stung me and I could have died! I’m allergic to bee stings.”

“Meredith, they have no stingers! Remember, they started out as butterflies.”

Meredith turned to look at the sixth year and started to advance on Elizabeth when the words of the headmaster reached her ears.

“Miss Blackwell, you have elected to not take points from Slytherin, am I correct?”

“There is no need to punish an entire House for the immature deeds of one.”

“What punishment fits this crime then?”

Elizabeth paused for a moment and then said something that neither of the other two people that were present in the office expected.

“I want that parchment redone to an acceptable standard by class tomorrow. If it is not I shall leave it in your hands, Professor Leeds. She will also be responsible for speaking to a classmate to get today’s assignment.”

“Quite acceptable, Miss Blackwell, Miss Weasley you heard what is expected of you. I expect it to be done or the consequences shall be severe.”

Meredith nodded silently and then turned to walk to the door before it opened to reveal a cloud of butterflies. She angrily slipped past them and made her way back down to the courtyard where her belongings and the class waited. Elizabeth turned to the headmaster and smiled as he chuckled.

“Quite original, Miss Blackwell, I shall indeed remember it.”

“Thank you for the temporary use of the Floo Network, Professor Leeds. She was moving fast enough that I could not have caught her.”

“You are quite welcome, Elizabeth. How was your first day teaching?”

“It was interesting, entertaining and informative, Professor Leeds.”

“May you have many more like it, Elizabeth.”

“Thank you, Professor Leeds, I intend to.”

The news that the Teaching Assistant in Transfiguration was not to be trifled with spread through the castle rapidly and some of those who had had no respect for Elizabeth now found some. Others, who had respected her all along, saw the respect that they held for her grow exponentially. But one, who didn’t care about Transfiguration or school at all, felt nothing but malice for the girl and could not wait for the chance to confront her in a duel.


	10. A Wild Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The students help Professor Longbottom solve a problem and a near disaster occurs during Flying Practice.

She sat quietly under one of the trees in the Transfiguration Courtyard while she pretended to study the assignment. Her anger about having to endure lessons that she had learned long before had not abated, but had actually grown to the point that she bristled whenever she had to attend class. She remembered clearly having to sit in front of many of the professors that were still at Hogwarts and wondered what ninny would keep them on.

The girl remembered too the current headmaster, although he had not been headmaster back then. Back when she had been at Hogwarts as a student he had been an associate professor, not much more than she. She remembered him struggling to teach class during potions under Slughorn and had often considered slipping him a dose of something fatal. Of course, she had been a Slytherin, and had tried to maintain a distance between herself and her professor’s protégé, who had been a Gryffindor.

Now she had to pretend to study under not one, but two, Gryffindors. McGonagall was bad enough, she hadn’t changed at all over the years, but Elizabeth Blackwell was the worst. She was the reason that this torment had to continue, the Dark Lord demanded it. He wanted the girl to come over to their side but, if she wouldn’t, then he had commanded that she die.

They had sent many to deal with her over the years, and those many were either dead or sitting in Azkaban under the watchful eyes of the Aurors. The girl was very intelligent and highly resourceful, being nearly undefeated in dueling practice. In battle, she was far worse; the girl had been at Hogsmeade and had proven her mettle there as she defeated several of their number. The witch under the tree flexed her hand and was rewarded with pain, a reminder of that battle where many of their number had been lost. A curse from the wand of the girl had struck her hand and now it was extremely painful to move.

Ordinarily she would have gone to one of the many healers within their world, but she was wanted by the Office of the Aurors. Harry Potter had gotten very close to her on several occasions and she had barely evaded capture or death. Two of his Aurors had not been so fortunate.

The bell in the tower chose that moment to toll and she rose to walk to the next classroom. It also served to tell her that she had only a few hours before she needed to take another dose of the potion that she relied upon to maintain her appearance. If it ever failed her she knew that it would be difficult at best to escape the castle, but that many would die before they captured her. The destruction of so many children would be a tragedy, the loss of magical blood always was, but it was a price that she was willing to inflict to escape if she had to.

Elizabeth looked again at the reading assignment that Professor Grims had assigned. Defense against the Dark Arts class was being a challenge this term as they delved deeper into the darkness than she was comfortable. The discussion about Animagi was interesting, but she wondered how useful it would be. Her grandfather had been teaching her about the use of that magic and she was now feeling comfortable enough to think about trying to transform herself into an animal. She knew that he could become a large Great Horned Owl at will and wondered what she wanted to become when the time came.

She knew for a fact that one of the Slytherin seventh years could become a large snake and shuddered at the thought of being one of those creatures. Professor McGonagall often transformed herself into a cat that would sit on her desk while she surveyed her class and Elizabeth didn’t think that being a cat would be all that bad. One of her father’s friends often entertained them by becoming a bat during parties that they attended.

One thing that she did know for certain was that once she became an Animagus she would have to register as one with the Ministry or face trouble with Rose’s mother. Hermione Granger-Weasley was not known for being sympathetic to those witches or wizards that were Animagi and failed to register. More than one now sat in Azkaban serving minor sentences that were intended to change their minds about obeying the law.

Sudden movement to her left startled her and she turned to see Beatrice settling down next to her. The girl looked exhausted as she had been up all night as they prepared for an exam in Potions, only to have Professor Tindwell postpone it. Instead, they had been forced to make a potion that was intended to cure a strange malady that was making the castle gargoyles turn a brilliant purple and squawk like chickens. The mischief was blamed heavily on an overabundance of garden gnomes who had also overrun the school cabbage patches and were causing the school chickens to lay eggs that were already hard-boiled.

While there were established methods for dealing with gnomes, purple gargoyles and chickens that laid hard-boiled eggs were another story. It was this that accounted for frenzied experimentation in the Potions classroom and many wild potions had resulted. One of the potions was the cause of one of the effects that were currently plaguing the school’s egg supply. While pre-made hard-boiled eggs were indeed a time saver for the kitchen, the odor of burnt liver that emerged when the shell was broken immediately killed the desire that anyone might have had to eat them.

Elizabeth looked at her notes again as Beatrice laid her head down onto the table and closed her eyes.

“Wake me when it’s Christmas, okay?” Beatrice murmured.

“Okay, but you’re going to get really hungry and really smelly from not showering or changing clothing.”

Beatrice smiled but kept her eyes closed as she tried to steal a few minutes of rest before having to rise for the next class. The rest was abruptly interrupted by the librarian who had approached them from behind.

“Ladies, this is a library! It is not a place to talk and definitely not a place to take a nap! Unless you wish for Gryffindor to lose points you will act appropriately.”

They watched as the librarian seemed to glide away and once she was out of earshot Beatrice found the courage to speak.

“Merlin’s Beard, I miss Madam Pince! Why did she have to retire?”

“It happens to all staff eventually.”

The appearance of the woman at the end of a row of bookshelves was enough to make the girls settle back to their studies. Elizabeth watched as the witch hurried away to dress down a pair of Hufflepuff students and then nudged her friend. Beatrice watched as her friend drew her wand and then glanced at a book that was lying on a far table before casting the sticking charm upon it. The wand disappeared back into Elizabeth’s robes and they left to stand outside the library while they pretended to be waiting for someone. A few minutes later they watched as the witch approached the book and then reached down to pick it up.

A sudden brief curse emanated from the lips of the witch as the book resisted her attempts to lift it from the table. Although she tried as hard as she could to pick it up from its resting place, the book remained stubbornly affixed to the table. Sensing that they had waited long enough and had seen enough to lightly amuse them the sixth year girls hurried away from the scene while the puzzled witch regarded the reticent book. Once they were far enough away to not be noticed, Elizabeth cast the counter and then hurried on down the corridor with Beatrice. In the library, the witch was still looking at the book that had resisted her when the student that had placed it there returned to pick it up and then walk away. As the young girl walked away with the book the witch could only watch and blink with disbelief.

“I can’t believe that you did that, Elizabeth,” Beatrice whispered to her friend as they walked down the corridor laughing.

“One can’t be good all of the time,” her friend answered, “it makes for a very boring life if you are. You haven’t seen me away from here much, have you?”

“Well, no, do you mean that there is another Elizabeth?”

“Let’s just say that my parents were ready to send me back to Hogwarts about a week after we went on break for the summer.”

“Really?”

“Really! I can be quite the stinker when I want to be. Dad doesn’t get angry with me anymore when I do something, he just gives me one of those looks.”

“I never would have even imagined it, Elizabeth. I mean, I have never even seen you pass a note in class let alone do something like you just did in the library, and you’re a Teaching Assistant! What if you had gotten caught?”

“I would have lost points like any other student.”

They hurried toward the greenhouses where they found Lily waiting for them.

“Where have you two been? I’ve been waiting for you so we can do the extra credit work for Professor Longbottom.”

A minute later, Lily’s eyes were wide as Beatrice told her about the incident in the library and she turned slowly to look at Elizabeth with surprise. The pair of other girls could tell that she was trying to act angry but hints of a smile edged onto her face and she finally started laughing as she thought about what her friend had done.

“You did that, Elizabeth?”

“Well, I needed to practice the sticking charm! I hadn’t used it for a while.”

The girls laughed again and then, after donning gloves and ear muffs, set about repotting a number of Mandrake seedlings for the young professor. They moved swiftly at their task and soon the plants were nestled comfortably in their new pots, their screeching quieted for now.”

“Remember when Scorpius and Nelly got grabbed by the Serpenticulars and had to walk around with red spots all over them?” Lily asked.

The memory brought the other girls to giggles as they remembered the students, who were already stained green from a mishap in Potions, had been forced to wander the castle with red pustules covering them and splotches of purple competing for space on their skin after a remedy for the condition had gone wrong.

Elizabeth turned to look at the waving tentacles of the plants and stepped away farther away from them, even though the things were several aisles away. The plants frightened her, she didn’t know why, but when she was in the greenhouses she never failed to give them a wide berth.

Despite her strengths, the girl had fears and these were well-known to many. She was positively terrified of the plants with red leaves and waving tentacles and refused to go very high when riding her broom. This refusal had caused her worst marks in school as she tended to do poorly in Flying Practice. It was hard to fly well when one had their eyes closed most of the time. She knew that she would never be on the House Quidditch team.

She also tended to be very hard on herself when something went wrong and emotional when forced to deal with something that she didn’t want to. The absence of her friends had destabilized the girl early in the term, but now she was finally back on an even keel and doing stellar work once again.

Professor Neville Longbottom stepped into the greenhouse to see the sixth year girl edging away from the Serpenticulars. The plants had that effect on some people, but Elizabeth was the most terrified of the plants that he had ever seen. She would become almost physically ill if they were working with the plants and usually needed to be sent to the Hospital Wing for treatment of her stress. The girl had actually collapsed one morning when she had gotten too close to the plants and had been surprised by it.

Still, he enjoyed having the girl in class and was more than willing to look past this shortcoming. She was brilliant and never came to class unprepared. The trio of girls was among those students that made him enjoy teaching and he wasn’t looking forward to them leaving at the end of their seventh year. As he watched, Elizabeth noticed something and slowly moved closer to a small, round plant that was a bright purple.

She leaned forward to examine it more closely and then turned back to him with a quizzical look on her face.

“What is it, Professor Longbottom?”

“I am not quite certain, Elizabeth. A student brought it back with them after a visit to Polynesia this last summer. None of my books cover it and I have had to consult a witch-doctor there for an answer. The problem is that he has yet to answer and so it sits there waiting, but don’t touch it. The spines on the plant aren’t sharp but they leave a type of resin that produces painful boils on skin.”

“What does it eat?”

“I’m not certain about that either. It seems to be doing quite well even though I haven’t figured out what to feed it. When I do feed it the plant promptly throws the food out of the pot and I find it scattered on the floor.”

Elizabeth leaned forward again and then jumped back with a squeal as she saw something that she hadn’t noticed before. A pair of small beady eyes had gazed back at her with annoyance clear in them. She turned to look back at the Professor Longbottom with surprise.

“Professor, are you certain that it’s a plant?”

“Well, it looks like one, why?”

“Because this one has eyes and it is watching me.”

Neville Longbottom stepped closer to the thing as did the other girls and all jumped back when the eyes opened again.

“Professor,” Beatrice announced suddenly, “I think that your plant is actually a type of Fwooper. My aunt used to have one and she constantly needed to cast a Silencing Charm on it to keep from going crazy. But I thought that they were from Africa and I have never heard of a purple one or about them having spines with poison on them.”

“I suppose that if they have Fwoopers in Polynesia that they could be different from the ones in Africa. I have never cast anything on it and have never heard it make a sound, so maybe it is a different type of Fwooper.”

“I can send an owl to my aunt, Professor Longbottom, she works in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Maybe she can come and look at it for you, because even if it isn’t a Fwooper she can probably tell you what it is.”

“That would be great, Beatrice, five points to Gryffindor for the excellent suggestion. You three have earned twenty points for your House today. You have each earned five points each for repotting the Mandrakes for me and Beatrice five for the suggestion about her aunt. You girls need to get on to your next class.”

“Yeah, Elizabeth, Flying Practice has been resumed,” Lily said quickly.

“I think that I’m going to be sick,” Elizabeth responded.

“Come on, let’s go,” Beatrice interjected, “last one there is a Flobber Worm.”

The trio of sixth years left the greenhouses unaware that one of the first years that they had passed was watching them. She wasn’t certain where Elizabeth was going or what class she had at the moment, but she wished her nothing good. The news that Flying Practice had been resumed was the one thing that made her happy. Even though she had to pretend to not know what she was doing on the broom, the feel of the air on her face was exhilarating. She could be free to imagine what she was going to do to Blackwell when she got the chance. The fact that the group of children that she was with was filing into their next classroom brought her out of her reverie and she entered the room angry that she had to be there.

Elizabeth and her friends joined the other sixth years as they walked out onto the area reserved for Flying Practice. The girl tried to act like she was doing well, but her friends knew otherwise, the sooner the class was over the better.

“Class, now that we have resumed Flying Practice I expect to see no horseplay or showing off. Anyone who does either of these things will find themselves out of the class until the end of Winter Break. The students who engaged in horseplay before the suspension of class managed to destroy two of the school brooms, but not to worry we have more than enough for all of you. You will also be happy to know that we have added some of the old Nimbus Two Thousand and Threes to the shed. They aren’t as flashy as they once were, but they will do the job nevertheless.”

Elizabeth glanced down at the broom that she had been handed and saw the no longer shiny script that proclaimed the broom that she was about to ride as one of the newly acquired brooms.

“Go ahead and mount your brooms.”

The girl could feel her heart start to pound as she mounted the broom that she held. It was true that she had a broom of her own, but it got very rare use. When it did fly it was not far off of the ground and never at any great speed. She knew that sooner or later she had to overcome her fear of flying as she had the apprehension of apparating.

_‘I’m nearly seventeen and can’t fly yet. This is stupid, Elizabeth, you don’t fly much better now than you did as a first year. Now get out there and fly like you’re supposed to!’_

She held her breath as the broom under her lifted her from the ground and soon she was leaving the earth and grass behind her. Lily and Beatrice came in alongside her and began to coach her through the lesson as the class maneuvered through the sky in a tight formation. Elizabeth began to feel a bit better about things with her friends at her side and she was able to keep her eyes open when the follow the leader game that they were playing sped up and then tilted towards the ground.

Lily and Beatrice couldn’t stay in the positions that they were in so Elizabeth was forced to take the lead as the other two girls fell back to follow her. The ground was rushing towards her and she began to panic until the person ahead of her tilted her broom upward to begin the climb that had been prescribed. A moment later Elizabeth was beginning her own climb and then the girl understood that very soon she was going to have to break from the group to begin the maneuver that had been assigned and this worried her. She had never successfully completed the maneuver in all of the times that she had tried and she knew that the professor was losing patience with her.

Basically what she was required to do was execute a sudden direction change and this meant a sudden lift of the nose of the broom before allowing it to fall backwards into what the Muggle pilots would call a stall. Once the front of the broomstick began its fall earthward in the direction that she wanted she was to lean forward to add her own weight to it in order to pick up speed. When she was satisfied that she had sufficient velocity she was to speed towards the ground to lose a classmate who was acting as a pursuer and doing what they could to intercept her.

The stunt was dangerous and she had seen more than one broom and rider hit the ground during its execution. Brooms rarely survived the encounter with the ground and the impacts always resulted in injury that required a trip to the Hospital Wing.

_‘It will take more than Pain-B-Gone if I hit the ground during this. It will be St. Mungo’s for certain.’_

Her confidence didn’t grow when a boy from Gryffindor grazed the ground and was thrown from the broom. The broom bounced along on the ground and then came to rest while the boy found a less desirable resting place. A briar bush awaited him and he landed among the thorn filled branches with a crash. A night in the Hospital Wing while they removed briar thorns was assured for him.

She suddenly heard a shout from Lily and saw the student in a yellow tunic that was to be her pursuit closing on her. Immediately she spurred her broom to go faster and soon was leading the boy in a fast, but not necessarily acrobatic, chase. The girl was acutely aware of the fact that the boy was riding a Meteor Five, identical to the one that she owned. It was much faster than this old Numbus, but it had a weakness.

The Meteor series were racing brooms, not built for the type of flying that they were doing now while the Nimbus brooms were much more agile. She knew that if she could get enough distance in front of him that she could out-maneuver him and escape. She spurred every ounce of speed that she could out of the old broom and then suddenly tilted the stick upwards into a harrowing climb that took even the professor watching from below by surprise. Knowing that the boy on the Meteor was going to follow her she continued the climb until finally allowing the broom to drop into a stall and shoving the nose forward as she leaned downward.

The wind whistled in her ears and made her hair whip wildly as she shot past him in a downward course that took him by surprise. This was Elizabeth Blackwell, the girl who was afraid to fly, doing this and he could only struggle to swing his own broom around to go back into pursuit. Elizabeth’s broom screamed towards earth as if it, and its rider, had a death wish and leveled off only a few feet above the ground while the newer, supposedly superior, broom whipped wildly through the air as the boy attempted one last capture and did the unthinkable.

Elizabeth had slowed the broom as she neared the waiting professor and could hear yelling, which she assumed meant that her friends were congratulating her, until she realized that the yells were shrieks of warning. A glance over her shoulder told her that the Meteor Five was on a collision course with her old Nimbus and her. There was no time for the older broom to speed up and evade this threat and she braced herself for the impact that she knew was going to come.

She felt and heard the collision at the same time that she heard the screams of horror from the spectators. Immediately her broom was thrown into a spin from which it could not be recovered and it careened towards the stand of trees that would give no mercy when she hit them. The new broom had hit the tail of her broom and had sheared it off leaving the older broom unable to maneuver although it did the best that it was able to.

With his own broom disabled and unable to avoid the collision the boy slammed into the same briar bush that had claimed the other victim while the broom slammed into the ground. Elizabeth’s broom glanced off of a tree and then came to rest hard on the ground, throwing her from it. The girl landed on the ground and lay there in a crumpled heap.

She was unaware of the crowd that ran towards her and the running children passed the shattered remains of the Meteor as they hurried to her. Lily and Beatrice landed their brooms next to her and hurried to dismount to rush to their friend. Professor Leeds and a nurse appeared with a POP just as they knelt next to the fallen student.

“Elizabeth! Elizabeth!” Lily shouted as she knelt next to her friend and shook her gently. “Speak to me, Elizabeth, please!”

“Ow,” was the faint response, “did anyone see the dragon that hit me?”

They watched as the nurse examined the girl and then rolled her onto her back gently. Elizabeth’s face was dirt and grass stained but her eyes were open and she looked up at the crowd around her.

“Are you okay, Elizabeth?” Professor Leeds asked.

“Only if I don’t have to take more Pain-B-Gone,” the girl answered.

“She’s going to be fine, I think, but I want to take her to the hospital.”

Elizabeth groaned as the nurse reached out to take her hand and then the pair vanished with a POP while a team worked to extricate the boys from the briars. The shattered brooms were collected and soon in the shed where brooms were kept between classes.

Lily, Beatrice and several other students were soon at the hospital to check on the condition of their friend only to be shooed out as the nurse pulled a very familiar bottle from the cabinet. Elizabeth shuddered as she watched the witch pour the contents into a glass and knew what was going to be expected of her. The medicine was soon in her stomach and she was sleeping peacefully while the boys endured the removal of the briar thorns.

Another eventful day at Hogwarts had come to a close and students would not forget it for a long time.


	11. Mixed Signals of Intent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several students cast doubtful images of what they intend, some intentionally while others by complete mistake.

The accident during Flying Practice sent rumors flying through the castle as the story spread that at least one student had been killed. Elizabeth was greeted as she left the hospital by several students that turned as while as some of the ghosts that populated the school.

“You’re alive, Elizabeth? I had heard that you were the one killed in the accident,” Toby Marcus exclaimed as the girl sat down next to him in class.

“Killed? No one was killed! I keep telling everyone that asks me that. A couple of people wish that they were dead after they landed in the briar patch down by the practice area. They spent the night having the thorns removed from their posteriors, but no one died.”

“Did you really crash land a Nimbus Two Thousand and three?”

“Splat into the ground, I had a bit of help by the git that rammed me with a Meteor Five. My broom at least kind of survived, the Meteor is firewood now.”

The boy winced as the girl told him the horrifying news.

“He destroyed a Meteor Five? He should be fed to a dragon for that!”

“I asked for what was left of the Nimbus. My father restores vintage brooms and the school was going to dispose of it. They said that it wasn’t worth the magic that it would take to repair it. He has one of the first one hundred Nimbus Two Thousands!”

“You’re kidding! Those things are museum pieces now, anything before five hundred is hard to find and worth a lot of Galleons.”

“It was in pieces when he bought it and he restored it to near new.”

“That I would love to see, Elizabeth, they have one in the History of Magical Flight museum in the Ministry of Magic and it’s restored but I think that they had a first year do the job. It’s horrible.”

“My Dad is really particular about who sees it, so I doubt that he would let you.”

“Does it still fly?”

“It still flies like it was new!”

Professor Grims walked past the pair and paused long enough to see that both of the students were finished with their assignment. As he watched, Lily Potter leaned over to show Elizabeth a line of script that she had just written on her parchment and the other girl pointed out something that she had written on her own.

“Class, I shall allow you about ten more minutes before I hand out a pop exam that I think that you’re ready for. Think carefully about your answers as these questions have been written to purposely try to deceive you. That is the nature of the beast that we are studying and so the exam has been written in the manner in which a Boggart thinks.”

The subject of the broom and the boy next to her forgotten, Elizabeth worked to finish the examination of her notes, unaware of the glances that the boy was sneaking at her. He found her highly attractive and, now that Albus Potter was out of the picture, wondered if he had a chance of dating her.

Elizabeth was examining her notes when they faded from her hand and a quill appeared in front of her along with a piece of parchment. The parchment appeared to be blank at the moment, but she knew that once she picked up the quill that the exam would appear. No two exams were alike and so asking a classmate for help would lead to disaster.

The questions that appeared as her hand touched the quill surprised the girl. They were utterly nonsensical and she was about to become angry when she remembered what Professor Grims had said, the questions were meant to deceive. She cleared her head and then looked at them again with that idea in her mind. Instantly the questions made perfect sense to her and she was able to begin writing. A glance around the room told her which of her classmates had figured out the solution and which were struggling. Lily and Beatrice had obviously figured it out because both were busily writing on their parchments while the boy next to her was still sitting idle while he regarded the parchment with confusion.

Professor Grims surveyed his class and could tell which of his students had heeded his advice and which had not. Very soon the time allotted to the exam would expire and the parchments as well as the quills would vanish, leaving each student with his or her own notes and a mark that was either a pass or a fail for the exam.

Elizabeth finished with the exam a few minutes after Lily and watched as her parchment vanished as soon as she laid the quill down. Several students were finishing, some rather frantically, so that they would not run out of time before the parchments vanished. Groans sounded from around the room and some of the loudest were coming from the boy sitting next to her. She knew that he hadn’t listened to the professor and as such was having a difficult time with the questions.

Her exam done, she thought about the class that she was about to teach in Transfiguration. The first years had an exam today and she wanted to make certain that they were ready for it. Victoria was extremely bright and spent much of her free time studying in the common room or Great Hall. It saddened Elizabeth that others in the class weren’t as dedicated as the girl that was her younger half- sister. She wondered what Victoria could tell her about their father and when she should ask the girl for the information.

A loud series of groans sounded as the parchments and quills vanished, leaving the notes of the students lying in front of their owners. Elizabeth carefully gathered hers after straightening them and then tucked them back into her bag while the boy next to her seized his and shoved them helter-skelter into his own satchel.

“Class, you are free to go.”

The students rose and Elizabeth joined her friends to walk away unaware that she was the object of Toby Marcus’ attention. He watched the Gryffindor girl walk away with her friends and made up his mind to get to know her better.

 _‘With any luck,’_ he thought, _‘she’ll be willing to forget about Potter and see me.’_

Elizabeth hurried to the Transfiguration classroom to find the first years waiting in the courtyard outside it. The doors opened suddenly to release the third years and the waiting class quietly filed in to take their seats. Victoria looked up and smiled at the older student as Elizabeth passed and the doors soon closed behind the recently arrived class.

“Students, today Miss Blackwell will not be teaching you and neither shall I. You need to get out your parchments and study them in preparation for an exam. Be certain to pay careful attention to your notes as this will not be an easy exam.”

Elizabeth started a slow circuit of the room as the time allotted to the study of notes began and she knew that very soon the first years would experience the same thing that she just had. They should be used to it by now, but she knew that there were always some that weren’t. A collective moan sounded when the parchments that the children were studying vanished and the exams and quills appeared before them. Elizabeth retreated to her table to mark parchments while the students worked on their task. She was unaware of the venomous glances that were being directed at her by the one in the classroom that wasn’t what she appeared to be.

She had to pretend that she wasn’t certain about answers and even wrote a few responses incorrectly. It wouldn’t serve her purpose if she got everything correct, especially things that a first year was normally uncertain about. They were being extremely careful in their communications, her conspirators and she, even to the point that she had an owl that belonged to her “parents” delivering mail to her. No one questioned owls from a Muggle-born student’s parents, there were many of them at Hogwarts and this fact served her and her cohorts extremely well.

As she marked parchments, Elizabeth let her eyes wander over the class and found that she was always watching a girl sitting towards the back of the room. She didn’t understand why, but she felt that the girl didn’t fit in. The child never caused trouble that Elizabeth knew of, but instead acted as though she was trying very hard to avoid drawing attention from any authority figure. This was unusual for most, but not all, first years, as the boisterous nature of their age often got them into trouble. She understood that even during her absence the girl had remained reserved and aloof.

She put it out of her mind as she marked the last of the parchments and raised her head in time to see the smaller girl glaring at her. The gaze was unwavering and it had the effect of making the young Teaching Assistant uncomfortable. Elizabeth made a mental note to speak to the child after class to see if she was experiencing difficulties with her studies or settling into school. She remembered her own first year at Beauxbatons and the problems that she had encountered there. Hogwarts was nothing like her former school and far friendlier to children who were nervous about their surroundings.

A short time later groans announced the fact that the exams and quills had vanished, leaving the students with their notes. Elizabeth watched as they gathered their belongings in preparation to leave for the day and rose to intercept the young girl that had been watching her. Professor McGonagall barely looked up as Elizabeth announced what she needed.

“Patricia, I would like to speak to you after class. The remainder of the class is dismissed.”

The girl that she had addressed sank back into her seat as her peers filed out of the room and, once the room was empty rose to meet Elizabeth. The second years were beginning to enter the classroom and Elizabeth reached out to touch the shoulder of the girl as she moved them out of the way.

“Am I in trouble, Miss Blackwell?”

“No, Patricia, you aren’t, but I am a bit concerned about you. You don’t seem to want to interact with the other students, I’ve watched you just sit alone except when you don’t have a choice. Are you having trouble making friends here?”

“No, I just don’t need them.”

“You don’t need them?”

“I don’t need friends and I don’t need you to be worried about me!”

“I don’t understand.”

“Just leave me alone, Miss Blackwell, you can’t possibly understand anything about me.”

“Patricia, I know that you’re a Muggle-born and there is nothing wrong with that. Many great witches and wizards are Muggle-born so don’t be concerned about that if it bothers you. The mother of one of my best friends is a Muggle-born and holds a position with the Ministry.”

“I’m not worried about being a Muggle-born and it’s no business of yours if I am. Just stay away from me from now on!”

Elizabeth watched as the girl turned and walked out of the room while the second years watched the confrontation, some with amusement.

“She told you, Blackwell,” Meredith yelled.

Elizabeth turned and looked at the girl who had spoken before responding.

“I’m not going to take points from her for what she said but you, Meredith, are a second year and should understand when to keep your mouth shut! Ten points from Slytherin for disrespect to a Teaching Assistant. Now find your seat and close your mouth before I take more points from Slytherin!”

The stunned class, unused to the fiery response from Elizabeth, hurried to find their seats and dig their notes out of their bags while they attempted to avoid incurring the wrath of the sixth year girl.

Elizabeth returned to her seat and watched as the class prepared to take the exam that even now was being readied for them. She pushed the incident with Patricia out of her mind and turned her thoughts back to her own studies. She had one exam out of the way and another to go, although it wouldn’t be for several days. Victoria had her attention at the moment and she wondered what it would be like to have a sister that she could talk to rather than fight with.

Patricia was angry with herself as she thought about the way that she had reacted to Elizabeth. She was supposed to get close to the girl and instead had let her emotions push their target away. Now it would be more difficult to get Elizabeth to trust her and therefore her job had just gotten harder.

_‘I need to apologize to her and hope that her famed charity will shine upon me. It is this charity that I intend to use to defeat you, Elizabeth Blackwell, and once you have been defeated the Dark Lord shall reward me greatly. Then we can turn our attentions to the children of Harry Potter and his friends.’_

She relaxed in the chair which she had been assigned and pretended to struggle with the assignment that she had been given. So far none of the professors had caught on to the fact that she was not what she appeared to be and she wanted it to stay that way. Soon enough the other person who had come to Hogwarts pretending to be something that he wasn’t would know enough to assist her. They had congratulated themselves on the planting of two conspirators within the protected walls of Hogwarts and were slowly building strength in preparation for the strike that was coming. She jumped as the professor that was standing next to her finally managed to break into her thoughts.

“Miss Carstairs! I have been calling on you for several minutes. Are you ill or simply ignoring the fact that you are in class and that your name has been called on to read from the text?”

She looked up into the angry eyes of the professor and knew that she needed to do something and quickly.

“I’m very sorry, Professor Grims, I was simply thinking about the exam that we just took in my last class and determined that I had missed something that I knew well.”

“Well, Patricia, this is this class and I expect my students to pay attention! Five points shall be taken from Ravenclaw for your lack of attentiveness. Now please read the top passage on the next page and from now on stay with us!”

Pretending to be thoroughly cowed, she turned the page in her book and then began to read the passage that the professor had indicated. Outwardly, she was fuming at the professor and wished more than anything that she could give the class a firsthand demonstration of the Cruciatus followed by the Killing Curse. The image of the professor that had just dressed her down writhing in agony on the floor nearly overwhelmed her and she was grateful when the passage that she had been assigned to read was over.

Professor Grims looked at the girl that he had just spoken to and shook his head. There was something familiar about her and he wondered what it was. He knew that her parents hadn’t attended Hogwarts because she was a Muggle-born, but still, it seemed like the child was not a total stranger to the ancient school or himself. She wasn’t the only one that he felt this way about because a boy in the classroom also gave him this feeling. It didn’t necessarily make him uneasy, but it puzzled him just the same. It was almost as if the children weren’t what they appeared to be.

He didn’t have much time to muse about it because the bell in the tower began to toll and students began to rise to move on to their next class. As the others vanished from the room he was surprised to see Patricia slowly walking towards him with her head hung.

“Professor Grims?”

“Yes, Patricia.”

“I’m really sorry for not staying with the class reading. My mind wandered and I was disappointed with myself for missing some things on the exam that I knew by heart.”

“I accept your apology, Patricia, but I still have to take the points that I said that I would. It does not do to dwell on what has been, you need to focus on what is in front of you or yet to come.”

“Yes, Professor Grims.”

“Run along now, Patricia, it wouldn’t do for you to be late to your next class. You don’t want to lose more points for your House do you?”

“No, sir, Professor Grims, I don’t.”

The girl turned and hurried out of the classroom while the professor watched her go.

‘Something is definitely off about that child, but what? Where have I met her before?’

The Great Hall began to fill as students gathered for the mid-day meal. Elizabeth’s table was more lively than normal as they had been told that they didn’t have to appear for Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid had given them an assignment which required research and a lot of writing and thus they had the next several weeks off. Each student had been assigned a topic and now they were on their own as they prepared a lecture on the subject.

Elizabeth had already decided on the habits of Hippogriffs and was well on her way with her research. The creatures had always fascinated her and she had spent many hours with Albus as they watched the great beasts soar over the lake. Her nightstand was filled with books on the subject and she often sat up at night reading passage after passage about the majestic animals.

She remembered being nearly eight years old when she had listened with rapt attention one night as her mother told her about the day that Harry Potter had actually ridden one of the creatures and then how Scorpius’ father had nearly gotten himself killed by insulting the animal. Hippogriffs were prideful animals and it was not wise to offend them, unless you wanted to be torn limb from limb. She had closed her eyes and dreamt about riding one of the creatures, feeling the great muscles flex under her while her hair whipped in the wind. Then Anne had stopped the story by announcing her disbelief about the actual events and called it all a lie. Hippogriffs were stupid animals, not prideful at all, and no one could ride a Hippogriff let alone survive to tell the tale.

The story had ended and Elizabeth remembered being shooed to bed while her mother dealt with Anne’s activities. In the end, however, Elizabeth had paid for the evening when Anne had caught her pretending to ride a Hippogriff and had knocked her off of the branch that she was sitting upon. The fall had resulted in a broken arm and a dose of Pain-B-Gone to heal it. Anne, of course, had lied about the whole thing and said that her sister had merely fallen off of the branch, something that she wasn’t supposed to climb anyway. The result for Elizabeth, besides the broken arm, had been confinement to her room for two days and the cancelling of a birthday party for her.

A nudge from Lily brought her back to the Great Hall and the matter at hand. Platters and containers of food had appeared on the tables and students were busy filling their plates with what they wanted to eat. Elizabeth hurried to fill her goblet with Pumpkin Juice before digging into a chicken leg that she had pulled from a platter. Somehow the elves knew exactly how each person liked their food and pieces of food tasted differently to different people depending on their tastes. Elizabeth had often wondered how Tiger liked his chicken because he always devoured it, never leaving anything remaining.

“How’s the Prefect business going, Lily?”

“About the same as the Teaching Assistant business, full of irritated people who want to try to explain why they were doing what they were or weren’t doing what they were supposed to.”

Elizabeth looked at the Cherry Crisp that she had spooned onto her plate mournfully while she thought about Albus and Rose. Both had told her about the ins and outs of being a Prefect and Rose had explained the trials of being Head Girl. The posts were full of responsibility and, although many students shied away from extra work, Elizabeth already had her mind made up that she wanted a chance at the position of Head Girl.

She was in the process of chewing some of the crisp when she noticed that Patricia was watching her once again. The malice that had filled the eyes of the younger girl was still there, although better masked and Elizabeth knew that something was going through the mind of the child. She managed to do what many before her had failed to, and that was to make Elizabeth uneasy. Never had another student made her feel the way that she did when Patricia was around. She tried to put the feeling out of her mind and concentrate on the conversation that she was having with her friends while also glancing now and then at Victoria.

She felt something else that she had never felt before and marveled at the changes that this group of first years had wrought. One of them made her feel uneasy while another filled her with thoughts that were pleasant and made her look forward to long conversations with the child.

“Elizabeth,” Beatrice’s frustration filled voice said as it broke into her thoughts.

“What?”

“You might have a problem!”

“What do you mean?”

“Toby Marcus is telling everyone that you’re going to dump Albus for him!”

Elizabeth nearly choked on the sip of Pumpkin Juice that she had just taken and much of it ended up spat onto the table. The girl turned to look at her friends with a horrified expression while they looked at her with disbelief evident on their faces.

“What did you say, Beatrice?”

“Toby Marcus is saying that you and Albus are finished and that you’re dating him now.”

“Is it true, Elizabeth? Are you dumping my brother for him?” Lily asked with tear filled eyes.

“Not one word of it is true and I intend to nip that little rumor in the bud right now!”

They watched as the girl rose while hurling her napkin down onto the table and then strode away from the Gryffindor table to make her way to the boy who had already noticed her approach.

“See, I told you guys that she’s dumping Potter and that she’ll be snogging me any time now,” Toby was telling his chums as they watched her approach.

“I don’t know, Toby, personally I think she looks angry,” one of the other students replied.

“Just watch,” the boy answered as he rose to meet the girl.

“Hey, beautiful…”

“Toby, you vile, horrid git! How dare you goa round telling everyone that I want to dump Albus for the likes of you? I wouldn’t consider it for all of the Galleons in Gringotts.”

The argument rose in intensity as eyes all over the Great Hall watched with anticipation and Tobias Leeds rose to walk to the scene.

“I would sooner snog a Flobber Worm, Toby Marcus! It would be a much more pleasurable experience for me if I did!”

“Then why did you invite me to your home to see that old Nimbus?”

“I never invited you to my home for any reason! You said that you wanted to see that broom and I said not to count on it because my father is really particular about who sees his collection. Then you got the brilliant idea to start spreading rumors about you and I that aren’t true. I won’t have it in the least and if you ever do anything like it again I will be more than happy to challenge you to a duel. It would be a pleasure to give you a thrashing like you have never had before.”

“Mister Marcus, Miss Blackwell, is there a problem here?”

Tobias Leeds had arrived and now stood over the pair of students as they stood nose to nose.

“Professor Leeds, I will not have him spreading rumors that I am attracted to him and that I want to dump my fiancé for him. I am committed to Albus Potter and have no interest in him in the least. I want the rumors to cease and I want him to stay away from me! If he doesn’t wish to listen to me this way I shall have no problem with issuing a challenge for a duel where I will enjoy beating him like a rug!”

“Mister Marcus, are you spreading stories that are not true?”

“NO! She said that I could come to her home and see her father’s vintage Nimbus. I took that to mean that she liked me more than Potter.”

“Mister Marcus, if that is all that was said, I fail to see where that would imply that she was prepared to break her engagement to Mister Potter. Did you know for certain that she was prepared to move on with you over Mister Potter?”

“No.”

“But yet you decided to spread the rumor that she was prepared to do so?”

“Yes, Professor Leeds, I did.”

“Now that we have that cleared up, Mister Marcus, I expect you to apologize to Miss Blackwell and to renounce publicly what you have been saying.”

“Do I have to do it in front of everybody here?”

“Yes, you do. You shall step up to the lectern and make the apology to her and renounce what you have said.”

“I cannot and will not do that, Professor Leeds.”

“In that case you need to report to the Isolation Tower for the next several days and expect to lose one hundred points for your House. I will not have false rumors spread within these walls, especially when they are hurtful and cause anxiety. Now, will you make the apology or not?”

The boy nodded quietly and then walked slowly to the front of the chamber while his progress was followed by hundreds of eyes. He stepped behind the lectern and then looked out at the setting that suddenly looked very different.

“What I said about Elizabeth is not true! She and I are not and never will be a couple as she is dedicated to Albus Potter. I apologize for any pain that I have caused and hope that she will accept this statement.”

Elizabeth watched and listened quietly while she stood next to the headmaster. Finally the boy left the lectern and then walked back to them.

“Mister Marcus, Miss Blackwell has indicated that she wants no part of you and that she wishes for you to leave her alone. If she complains about anything like this again I shall take those points and then send you to isolation. As it is, I am taking twenty points for your activities and now am asking you to be seated.”

The boy walked back to his seat to sit quietly as he glared at the headmaster and the girl who had just challenged him. Elizabeth started to walk away but stopped short when Professor Leeds spoke.

“Miss Blackwell, I am not finished with you.”

“I don’t understand, Professor Leeds.”

“While you may have been the victim of falsehoods told about you, Miss Blackwell, you are certainly guilty of making threats against Mister Marcus. NO student, regardless of status, has the right to challenge anyone to a duel outside of dueling practice. This is to prevent injury or worse should things get out of hand. I am taking twenty points from Gryffindor for your serious lack of judgement and putting your status as a Teaching Assistant on probation. Any further infraction during this time will cause that status to be revoked.”

“How long will the probation be, Professor Leeds?”

“In this case, Miss Blackwell, due to the severity of the situation, I am imposing a probation period of the remainder of the term until the break at the holidays.”

An audible gasp echoed through the nearly silent chamber and Elizabeth could only nod silently as tears crept down her face before she walked slowly back to the Gryffindor table. She sat down at her place and then put her head down to cry quietly, the shaking of her shoulders the only sign of what she was doing.

Patricia watched quietly as inspiration grew within her and she smiled to herself while she ate the dessert on the plate in front of her.

_‘You just made things so much easier, Elizabeth, all that has to happen now is for you to lose your temper and then your position. Once that happens, you’ll be all the easier to turn to our side.’_


	12. Poly-juice Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth learns something about her past, life in the castle has gone chaotic and Professor Tindwell is asked for help.

Elizabeth’s nerves had settled and she now sat quietly in the Gryffindor Common Room while she talked with Lily. She sat in her normal spot while she clutched a pillow to her middle and the whole thing felt very familiar except for the fact that it was not Albus sitting next to her. Lily lounged against the back of the couch while she and her friend spoke.

“Are you okay, Elizabeth?”

“I guess so.”

“If it helps, I never believed what he was saying that you were going to do. I know how much you love my brother and how much he loves you. I just can’t wait until you two are married and one of my best friends is my sister. Then, once you two have kids I get to be their aunt.”

“Whoa, slow down, give me some time okay? Not all at once please.”

Lily smiled at the shocked expression that Elizabeth wore and then continued.

“Do you want boys or girls or both?”

“You’re really on about that, aren’t you?”

“It never hurts to be prepared! I just want to know if it will be nephews or nieces or both.”

“I don’t know,” Elizabeth said slowly, “I guess that I had never thought much about it. I mean, I know that it doesn’t matter if they are boys or girls, my children’s last name will be Potter. Your brother asked me to marry him and I don’t intend to let him out of it.”

The girls giggled and were interrupted by the sudden appearance of Tiger, who came from the shadows to leap up onto the lap of his owner. He snuggled against the girl as she ran her fingers though his fur and began to purr loudly. Elizabeth kissed him on the top of his head as she caressed her pet.

“How long have you had Tiger?”

“He was just a tiny kitten when I got him. He was a small ball of fur with four feet and lots of teeth and claws when he wanted to play fight.”

“Your sister let you have him?”

“She didn’t want him! She doesn’t like cats and didn’t want me to have him. It was one of the few times that my dad let me have my way around the house. It made her so angry that she couldn’t just throw him out into the cold. After that she was really mean to him whenever she got the chance. It was the same with Chloe, our House-elf, she was cruel to the point of nearly harming Chloe one day and Mom had to step in to stop her.”

“Merlin’s Beard!”

Tiger flopped over onto his side and then rolled onto his back to allow the girl to play with his tummy. He purred loudly as he enjoyed the affection and soon had his eyes closed.

“I can’t believe that Professor Leeds put you on probation until holiday break, it just isn’t fair,” Beatrice broke in as she sat in the large chair next to the mantle.

“I don’t mind,” Elizabeth answered, “Holiday break will be here before we know it and then the probation will be over and things will be back to the way that they were. I really can’t wait for break, but not for that reason.”

“You can’t wait to see Albus, can you?”

“How did you guess?”

“Probably the way that you keep playing with the ring that he put on your finger. I’ve watched you do it even in class, sometimes I don’t think that you even realize that you’re doing it.”

“A lot of people have noticed that you do it, Elizabeth. The whole castle knew that you were in love with him before he asked you to marry him. They all just wondered when he was going to do it.”

“Has it been that obvious all of this time?” Elizabeth asked.

“Every time that someone saw you with him it was that obvious, even when you were teasing him about the Cherry Crisp and the games of Wizard’s Chess,” Lily answered. “There wasn’t a girl in the castle who ever thought that they had a real chance of taking him from you. You really do think about him all of the time, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I think about him constantly. Did he really take that apprenticeship with Ollivander?”

Lily nodded before speaking.

“He says that it’s okay, just not the same now that Mister Ollivander is dead and there is someone new running the shop. I hear that the new guy doesn’t know as much as his relative did and is nowhere near as nice.”

“Well, Mister Ollivander did wand lore for a really long time. I mean, I heard that You Know Who got his wand there.”

“You mean Voldemort?”

Beatrice cringed as her friend said the name of the evil wizard and then nodded.

“Please don’t say that name, Elizabeth.”

“Why? He’s long dead and can’t hurt anyone anymore!”

“I don’t know but it gives me the shivers. My dad has told me all about the things that happened back then, how You Know Who killed Lily’s grandparents and tried to kill her dad when he was just a baby.”

“Well, he’s gone now and we don’t have to worry about Tom Riddle or Voldemort or whatever you want to call him. Anne and I, when we got along, used to use a creepy old doll as him to practice hexes on. It was a lot of fun, until Anne got carried away one day and vaporized it. There was nothing left at all and we had to use a tree branch after that.”

A noise alerted them to movement and they turned to see that Victoria had padded quietly into the room and was approaching them.

“Are you okay, Victoria?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yeah, I just couldn’t sleep.”

“You might want to try because exams in Defense against the Dark Arts aren’t easy. Professor Grims has been going easy on your class up until now, but it won’t last much longer and his exams can be tough,” Lily answered.

The younger girl nodded and then looked at Elizabeth again.

“Will you walk back to my dorm with me, Elizabeth?”

Elizabeth laid the pillow that she had been clutching aside and rose to walk with the small girl back to her dorm. Lily and Beatrice watched them leave and finally spoke when the pair was out of earshot.

“I hope that Victoria is who she says that she is,” Lily said quietly, “it would devastate Elizabeth if it turns out that she isn’t.”

“I’ve been thinking that too. With your brother and Rose both gone, Elizabeth is really vulnerable right now and is searching for someone to hang on to. With her sister being the way that she is I’m afraid that Victoria is almost too good to be true.”

“All that we can do is stand with her and be ready if things go bad.”

“I hope not, for her sake. I really don’t know how much more she can take. With her friends gone and now being on probation, I’m afraid that she could finally crack. She’s faced a lot from outside Hogwarts since she started here, but it’s what is within the castle that frightens me. An attack from inside could finish her forever. There are a lot of things that you can’t handle with a wand.”

The girls talked while Elizabeth and Victoria walked to the dorm that the younger girl shared with other first years. Victoria scurried back to her bed and slipped under the covers while the sixth year watched her. Elizabeth looked at the smaller girl again and knew that she had to be looking at her sibling, the resemblance was too great.

“You’re doing it again, Elizabeth,” Victoria said.

“I know, I’m looking at you for a long time and it bugs you. I just never thought that this would happen, me finding out that I have a sister that I never knew about.”

“I’ve thought that too.”

“What’s he like? Our father, I mean.”

“He always seemed really sad about something, like it was missing from his life. He said that I was named after her.”

“My mother?”

“I guess, is her name Victoria?”

“Yes, my mother’s name is Victoria.”

“I always wondered and, after my mother died of Dragon Pox, he tried to raise me on his own.”

“Your mother died of Dragon Pox?”

“Yeah, I was only five when it happened and he tried to do the best that he could to take care of me and raise me right, but something always got in the way of it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Elizabeth, our father was not a kind man at times. He sometimes flew into uncontrollable rages and he nearly destroyed our home one night.”

“He put you into danger?”

“No, I would hide from him. Our House elves would disapparate with me and keep me safe until it was okay to return. He ordered them to do it to protect me.”

“So he sent you here to Hogwarts?”

“No, my grandparents…” the girl paused before correcting herself, “I mean to say, our grandparents did. They didn’t want me to go to Durmstrang or Beauxbatons, they wanted me at Hogwarts.”

“Did they know that I was here?”

“They don’t even know that you exist, Elizabeth, but he suspected that you do. You’re really very famous in some ways, especially after getting the awards that you have from the Ministry. I caught him one day looking at the Daily Prophet and staring at your picture. Do you look anything like your mother?”

“Quite a bit, why do you ask?”

”Then he knew that you exist, because I heard him say your mother’s name over and over again.”

“You keep talking about him in the past tense. Is something wrong with him? Will he come to Hogwarts to see you at break?”

“No, he won’t.”

“Why?”

The girl paused for a moment and Elizabeth could see tears forming in her eyes before she spoke.

“He’s dead, Elizabeth.”

The news struck Elizabeth like a hammer to the gut and she paused as the information sank in. Her father, the man that had sired her, the man that she had never met but owed her existence to, was dead and she would never have the chance to see him for herself.

“When did he die?”

“About a year ago,” the younger girl answered through her tears, “and I saw the whole thing.”

“What happened?”

The younger girl shuddered and tried unsuccessfully to fight back tears before she answered the question.

“They came to our home in the middle of the night to take us and he fought them. He was alone and there were five of them. I wanted to help him but he told the elves to take me far away and never bring me back to the house. Before the elves could disapparate, four of them were killed and another was lying on the ground pleading for his life before his companions used the Killing Curse on him. I watched them cut my father down as the elves fled with me.”

Elizabeth sat quietly as she listened to what the younger girl was saying.

“My grand…, I mean, our grandparents took me in and sent me here to study, not knowing that my older sister is already here.”

“Victoria, can you tell me who came to your home and killed our father?”

“I don’t know who they were, Elizabeth, they were all wearing dark robes and masks over their faces.”

“Didn’t they go to your, I mean, our grandparents’ home to find you?”

“They tried, but Grandfather managed to beat them and they disapparated to escape.”

“Will they be coming to visit you?”

“I don’t know, maybe.”

Elizabeth nodded and then prepared to rise but not until she looked down at the smaller girl who was still studying the face of her older sister.

“Go to sleep.”

“Okay.”

Elizabeth rose and walked towards the door and stopped suddenly when she was spoken to again.

“Elizabeth?”

“Yes,” she answered as she turned around.

“I’ve never had a sister before; it was always just me and Dad. Can I tell you that I love you now that I’ve found you?”

“I guess so.”

“If you don’t want me to I’ll understand.”

“No, it’s okay, I won’t mind.”

“I love you Elizabeth.”

“I love you too, Victoria.”

Elizabeth left the room and closed the door behind her as Victoria settled under the covers to go to sleep. The smaller girl had no idea that the sixth year girl stopped to lean against the stone wall and weep quietly once she was out of sight. The thought that her father was dead and that she could never meet him hurt the girl deeply. Although she had become very close to the man that she called Dad, she had often wondered about the man that she had never called Father. What had he been like and was he really the killer that he was accused of being?

She wiped her eyes and then hurried back to the common room to settle back in with her friends. Lily glanced at her friend and wondered what had been said between the sisters.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, but I just learned some things that I never would have otherwise.”

“Do you want to talk?”

“Maybe later, just not right now.”

Lily nodded and then rose to her feet before stretching and yawning.

“I’m off on my rounds.”

“I almost forgot about that, enjoy those night patrols.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it, I knew that there was a reason that I was glad that I gave up my badge.”

Elizabeth smiled as her friend turned to stick out her tongue and then hurried out of the room. Tiger was snuggled against her and she relaxed into her seat while she ran her fingers through the fur of the cat. The tolling of the bell in the tower told her that it was time to go to bed and she finally rose to walk up the stairs to the dorm where she changed into her bed clothing and then slipped under the covers to swiftly fall asleep.

Tobias Leeds paced his office while he thought about the incident with Elizabeth Blackwell. The young Teaching Assistant was an invaluable help to one of his senior staff and now had been threatened with the removal from her post. She had done an admirable job of ignoring a great number of things that would have set another student off. The young witch had also never asked to be excused from any trouble that she had been in and now faced true consequences for something that was none of her fault.

He settled back down at his desk to view the report that he written about the incident in the Great Hall. A copy of it would go into the file of each student to document their behavior. Clearly the boy was the cause of the problem and the girl had been pulled into it. He had actually heard the rumors that had begun to circulate around the castle about Toby Marcus and Elizabeth Blackwell and had known that trouble was about to begin. Now he regretted the fact that he had not had to chance to intercede until the girl had confronted the boy.

After a moment of thought, he laid the unsigned report aside and placed the quill back on his desk. Now that he had announced his decision in front of the entire student body he could not very well reverse it to the benefit of Miss Blackwell for that would make her appear to be a favorite of his. That development would undoubtedly bring more trouble for the girl and potentially lead to her lashing out at an offending student. Failure to deal with that would be disastrous as would make him appear weak and then some families might question the education that Hogwarts was providing for their children.

He looked again at the reports and then reached out to pick up his quill. A moment later the reports were signed and vanishing to appear in the files that the Ministry kept on students attending schools of magic. It was a minor blemish on Miss Blackwell’s record that would not have the least bearing on her future. The incident would fade with time and someday not even be a footnote in her history. Elizabeth Blackwell could continue on her course towards becoming a professor at Hogwarts and he would be happy to add his endorsement of her towards that goal.

Patricia lay awake in her own bed as she stared up at the canopy overhead. The incident with Toby Marcus would not weaken Blackwell much because it in fact made her stronger. Now she would be much more careful to avoid wrongdoing and much quicker to correct those who did. She cursed silently at the turn of events and hoped that something would change soon. Her counterpart in the other House had reported that the defenses around the girl had tightened as her friends gathered around her. The circle of friends that the girl maintained made her a difficult target to reach and an even tougher one to bring down.

Soon she would have to contact the Dark Lord with her report on the progress against Elizabeth Blackwell and it would be an unpleasant experience as he would not take the lack of progress lightly. He was not given to mercy to those who disappointed him and many had died for their failures.

“Tomorrow I have to apologize to her and try to get very close to Miss Blackwell. Only then can I begin to work my way into her circle and then prepare to destroy her.’

She closed her eyes and was soon asleep as her mind filled with plans of the destruction of their enemy and her friends.

The castle began to stir once again the next morning as the sun rose to drive away some of the shadows. The denizens of the Forbidden Forest that hated sunlight retreated into the places that they used for refuge during the day and the creatures of the Black Lake moved to deeper water when the brightness became too much for them.

In the Great Hall, the elves finished preparing the chamber for what was coming as their fellows completed the cleaning of the rest of the castle. Other elves saw to the preparation of the robes of both students and staff for the coming day. The process ran like a well-oiled watch and little could disrupt it.

Elizabeth slid out from under the covers and then hurried to the shower area to bathe and then prepare for the day. Not long after that she was walking down to the Great Hall while she talked with her friends.

As they walked Lily made a poor attempt to hide the yawn that she could not stifle. The patrol the night before had been a difficult one as someone had released a swarm of Cornish Pixies in the Charms Classroom and they had created havoc there. Only after much difficulty had she and another Prefect been able to corral the creatures and return them to the empty cage that they had obviously been released from. That cage now sat in the room that Hagrid used as an office.

“Do you have any idea who set them loose in there?” Elizabeth asked.

“No, and the portraits aren’t being much help either. My bet is on Peeves because they all have been saying that he was on the prowl last night and reports about booby traps are coming in from all over the castle. From what I understand, the toilets in the boy’s lavatory on the second floor are all flushing upside down!”

Beatrice gasped and looked at her friend with alarm.

“You don’t mean…”

“I do mean it, if someone flushes a toilet what’s in it goes upward and outward in a terrible fountain. More than one student has been given a rude surprise this morning after taking care of business.”

“Are the girls’ lavatories safe to use?”

“I haven’t heard about any problems but right now it’s at your own risk.”

“Great! That’s just what I always wanted, a bath of dirty toilet water!”

“But _Tergeo_ would clean it up,” Elizabeth offered.

“It’s just the idea of the whole thing that has me going mental.”

The group was passing the corridor that led to the second floor when there was a terrible noise and several students rushed out of the boys’ lavatory, dripping water behind them while they cursed about their misfortune.

“I guess that they don’t have the toilets fixed yet and those boys didn’t get the word,” Lily said dryly as they continued on their trip to the Great Hall.

They arrived to find the room in pandemonium and stepped in to see the tables floating in the air, upside down. The plates and other utensils were firmly in place and it appeared that if one could manage to sit in that fashion that they could enjoy their morning meal. One of the elves stood in the center of the room while he looked at the situation and then shook his head before snapping his fingers. Instantly the tables were where they needed to be although the utensils hung in the air above the furniture. A second snap and the tables were set once again.

Elizabeth heard the elf curse before her vanished and raised her hand to her mouth to stifle the laughter that threatened to emerge.

“What’s with you?” Lily asked her friend.

“I’ve never heard one of them curse like that before.”

“Well, they can’t be happy about all of this.”

“Yeah,” Beatrice added, “it just makes more work for them.”

The group of girls entered the chamber to walk to their normal spot at the table. They had no sat down when Victoria was standing next to Elizabeth.

“Can you help me with my assignment, Elizabeth?”

“Sure, the first few minutes of class are always there for you to get extra help. Right now, you need to eat breakfast, okay?”

“Okay! I’ll see you in class.”

The sixth year girls watched as the young girl walked away to find her own seat at the table and then turned as the breakfast appeared before them. Elizabeth hurried to fill her plate with eggs and bacon before turning her attention to the sweet rolls that filled a platter. Lily watched as the plate in front of her friend filled before speaking.

“Are you hungry or something?”

“I’m famished! Besides, I want to look normal.”

“What do you mean?”

“I haven’t figured out who yet, but someone here isn’t what they appear to be!”

“Aren’t what they appear to be? Can you be a little more specific?”

“I was in the library the other day and thought that I could smell Poly-juice Potion or something like it. Someone in this room is not who they appear to be.”

“But I thought that Poly-juice didn’t have an odor.”

“The normal one doesn’t have an aroma if properly brewed, but this either wasn’t the normal one or it was a batch that has soured.”

“If it soured isn’t it dangerous to drink?”

“Yeah, it can be fatal if you take it enough times.”

“Then you think that it’s the more powerful brew?”

“That’s exactly what I think! There were just so many people in the room that day that I couldn’t figure out who it was.”

“Maybe it’s the librarian!” Beatrice said as she started to giggle. “Maybe she’s really a troll and just decided to work at a school.”

“Beatrice, you can be so strange at times,” Elizabeth responded, “you know that trolls can’t read.”

“Maybe this one can! Maybe its mother dropped it on its head when it was a baby.”

The girls laughed at the thought and then Elizabeth stopped as a thought came to mind.

“That’s it!”

“It is?” Beatrice asked. “Elizabeth, I was joking about it.”

“No, not that,” the girl answered while fixing her friend with a strange look. “I finally remembered what year was in the library the day that I smelled it. It was the second years, but who could it be?”

“Well, it can’t be Meredith, unless they’ve been giving her the potion since she was a baby,” Lily said.  “You can’t just go around sniffing people, Elizabeth, because that _would_ make you look like you had gone mental.”

_‘There has to be some way to figure out who it is and I intend to find it.'_

When breakfast ended Elizabeth gave instructions to one of the elves to make certain that Tiger got his breakfast before she walked on to class. She chatted with her friends as they walked to Potions and soon were settling into their seats while Professor Tindwell hustled around the room preparing ingredients for the class.

“Class, today we shall be concluding the potion that we prepared a few days ago. Right now, it is clear and already quite lethal, but we need it to be much more benign. Therefore, we shall be producing the second half of the potion today and tomorrow. These portions cannot be combined as the result would be highly dangerous. They must be combined with the portion that you have already brewed in a certain order for the consequences of failing to do so will result in a soured potion and quite possibly death for all of us in this room. It is for this reason that when we mix the potions we shall do so outside.”

“How will that protect us, Professor Tindwell? I’ve studied the potion that we are preparing and it appears to be very dangerous even in the open air.”

“Miss Campbell, your question is an excellent inquiry that deserves an answer and five points. When we mix the potions we shall be doing it under the cover of a hurricane. Not a real one, but one that shall serve to lift the fumes up and away where they shall be destroyed and the remnants dissipated. You students, however, shall be unaware of the vortex above and around you as this spell affects only things that are lighter than air.”

Murmurs sounded as the students took in what they had been told and they finally rose to begin the preparation of the potion. Elizabeth looked at the wine colored liquid in her cauldron for a moment before picking up the vial that was indicated in the book that lay in front of her. A few seconds later the vial was empty and the potion had become a nearly blood red. She could tell that the others in the room were at the same point as they began to watch a beautiful mist rise into the air.

“The mist is quite harmless and normal, so please do not be alarmed. The worst thing that you can do is attempt to wave it away for it will cling to your skin and stain it bright red for several weeks. Introduce the next component carefully and slowly as we do not want it boiling over.”

Elizabeth regarded the pale blue powder in the vial mournfully, knowing that it would be destroyed once she entered it into the cauldron. She unstopped the vial and then carefully sprinkled it into the roiling potion that she was making. Instantly, pale blue bubbles appeared and the red liquid vanished. The girl backed away in alarm as the bubbles started to climb the sides of the cauldron and then threatened to overflow for a moment. Then, just as swiftly as they had begun their ascent the bubbles slipped back down and reassumed a liquid form.

Professor Tindwell laughed at the reaction that several students had displayed before continuing his teaching.

“Now that you have a pale blue mixture that has not boiled over you may step away and let it simmer. This will take place overnight and is quite normal for this potion. The remainder of this class may be spent working on any assignment that you need to complete, regardless of subject.”

Elizabeth stepped away to walk back to her seat and then thought of something that was so quite obvious. She hurried to the side of the professor with a question on her mind and was soon speaking to Professor Tindwell.

“Yes, Miss Blackwell, did you have a question?”

“Professor Tindwell, I think that someone here at Hogwarts is using Poly-juice Potion of some sort and wondered how I could determine who.”

“Do you mean to tell me that you believe that a staff member is using it?”

“No, Professor Tindwell, I don’t.”

“Then do you mean…”

“Yes, Professor Tindwell, I believe that it is a student. Someone here is not who they appear to be.”


	13. Looking for Luna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth is determined to find to who is not what they appear to be and seeks help from a former student of Hogwarts only to find that she is not the only one seeking help.

Professor Tindwell regarded the student who stood before him with astonishment. He knew a great deal about Elizabeth Blackwell and her reputation. The girl would not be asking him what she was if she didn’t have a reason to do so and he believed her sincerity as he could see it in her eyes. There was no hint of deceit, only a great determination.

“Miss Blackwell, even if I tell you how to determine if someone is under the disguise that Poly-Juice provides, what do you intend to do once you know? If someone is using that potion to hide their identity they will not be pleased to be revealed and could potentially be dangerous. Are you prepared for that?”

Professor Tindwell recognized the determined look that Elizabeth fixed him with before answering his question and knew what she was going to say before she spoke.

“Professor, I’ve faced dark witches and wizards including one that was several centuries old and survived. Scores of Inferi and a crazed elf didn’t kill me either and none of them wanted to greet me happily. Yeah, I think that I’m ready to face whatever whoever this is can throw at me.”

“I sincerely hope so, Elizabeth, but my knowledge of your accomplishments and hope for your safety does not allay my fears for your safety. At this time, Miss Blackwell, I am unprepared to tell you what you wish to know. You are not yet ready to face someone whose identity has been dragged from under the veil of that potion. Your injury or death would hurt me deeply and I could never forgive myself if either of those things happened.”

“But, Professor Tindwell, if I do not know who they are here in the castle and who they are other than a student, is there not a chance that I am in danger?”

The elderly professor sighed as he looked once again into the blue eyes of the young woman before speaking.

“You are right; of course, Miss Blackwell, but what do you intend to do once you know who this person is? Surely you are not going to confront them.”

“Of course not but, once I know who they are, I can keep a closer eye on them and attempt to learn their intent.”

“Very well, Miss Blackwell, I shall give you what you seek. But be very careful, for if the potion that they are using is the one that I believe it is, the user will be someone that is already very dangerous. If they discover that you know their true identity they will very likely throw caution to the wind and strike.”

“I am fully aware of that.”

“You wear glasses at times, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do, why?”

“There is a potion that, when applied to eye glasses, gives the wearer true sight. Nothing can be hidden from you, no matter how hard one tries to deceive. The problem is that continued use has a hazardous side effect on the user, potentially driving them mad. It is for this reason that I am hesitant to give it to you. I would not want to be the one who harmed you for the remainder of your life. If you were to be affected, I am afraid that you would be a permanent patient at St. Mungos.”

“How long is too long?”

“You would have only an hour, no more, before you would have to take the glasses off and destroy them.”

“Is there no other way?”

“There was once a type of glasses that allowed one to see invisible creatures. Spectrespecs, I believe that they were called and they were given away in a defunct publication, The Quibbler. I am not aware of any in existence although there is one person who might have them _(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince).”_

“And would they allow me to see someone’s true form?”

“This I do not know, I have no idea what enchantment was placed upon them to allow them to see the invisible creatures that they were intended to see. If you wish to have a chance of locating any of these glasses you shall need to contact Luna Lovegood-Scamander.”

“Luna Lovegood? Did she attend school here at Hogwarts?”

“Why, yes, yes she did. In fact, your parents probably knew her. She was in interesting person, some even said a bit mental, but she is the person that you need to seek. If she has any of them remaining I am quite certain that she will help you.”

“Thank you, Professor Tindwell.”

“Please be careful, Miss Blackwell, if these people are using the potion that you believe that they are, the situation could be quite hazardous.”

The bell in the tower began its tolling and students hurried to move on to their next class while Elizabeth dawdled for a moment. She had heard the name Luna Lovegood before and knew that Lily would have the answers that she sought.  
Beatrice and Lily were waiting for her when she finally emerged from the classroom and fell into step with her as they walked on to the next class.

“Elizabeth, what was going on between you and Professor Tindwell,” Lily asked after they had crossed nearly half the distance to the next class.

“Lily, do you know Luna Lovegood?”

“Know her?" Lily asked with mock astonishment. "My parents gave me her name as my middle name, of course I know her. Why do you ask?”

“I need to speak with her and as soon as possible.”

“She’s rather hard to track down, she’s a Magizoologist.”

“Is she connected to Newt Scamander somehow?”

“She’s married to his son, Rolf.”

“Can she be reached by owl?”

“Of course, who can’t?”

“Then I have some writing to do.”

The door to the classroom appeared before them and they were startled to see a notice on the door stating that class had been cancelled for the unforeseeable future due to a severe outbreak of diseases in the greenhouses.

“I guess that we are going to the Great Hall to study,” Beatrice announced after reading the notice.

“Poor Professor Longbottom, he really loves those plants. I hope that it’s not serious,” Lily replied.

“If he cancelled class indefinitely then it’s very serious,” Elizabeth noted. “I wonder if he’s in there, maybe we can help.”

Beatrice reached for the door handle and found that the door would open easily. The trio of girls, who were far more dedicated than many, stepped into the entrance to the greenhouses to find the professor tending to some very ill looking plants. The Amazonian Red-Leafed Serpenticulars hung limply in their pots, the ends of their tentacles waving weakly while the worried wizard poured a peculiar smelling potion over them. He turned to see the girls and they weren’t surprised to see tears in his eyes.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with them! I walked into the greenhouses this morning and found them this way. Nearly all of the plants are like this and it all happened very suddenly. It’s almost like they have been poisoned.”  
“But who would poison plants?”

Lily looked at Beatrice, who had just spoken, and then snapped her fingers.”

“Garden gnomes!”

Neville Longbottom looked at the student and then back at his plants as the problem began to make sense. He had just evicted a colony of gnomes that had managed to infiltrate the greenhouses. Angered by their eviction, the gnomes had sworn revenge against the professor and loudly vowed to strike at him where it would cause the most pain.

“They’ve been burrowing into the pots and chewing off all of the plant roots,” he exclaimed. “Why didn’t I think of it? They had been chewing on the roots to the common plants, the ones that it doesn’t matter what they do to. I made them angry and now this is how they are fighting back.”

“Don’t you have something that will regrow the roots?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yes, I do,” he responded as he pulled a large flask from a shelf and began to pour it on the soil within the pots.

A Muggle wouldn’t have understood what happened next, but the wizard and three witches present certainly did as the plants began to immediately rally. The girls were forced to move away from the Serpenticulars as the plants began to wave their tentacles wildly once again. They could only watch as the professor’s face lit up with joy and then, much to their horror, raced forward to caress the leaves of the very plants that they were trying to avoid. Instantly the face of Neville Longbottom began to sprout the familiar strawberry sized pustules that soon would begin to ooze.

“I think that I have gotten myself into a situation,” he said thickly. “Ten points to you, Lily, for figuring out what had caused the problems. I’m going to the Hospital Wing now, please lock up as you leave.”

The afflicted professor walked out of the castle and soon was out of sight leaving the girls to lock the classroom after them. They walked on to the Great Hall where Lily and Beatrice settled down to work and Elizabeth began to write an owl to Luna Lovegood Scamander.

_Dear Mrs. Lovegood-Scamander,_

_My name is Elizabeth Blackwell and I am a friend of Lily Potter at Hogwarts. I have a bit of a problem and wondered if you could help me._

_I understand that your father used to publish the Quibbler and that your paper offered free pairs of Spectrespecs. I was wondering if you had any of them remaining for I desperately need a pair. I would be more than willing to pay you for your trouble._

_Please respond as soon as possible as it is very important._

_Sincerely,_  
_Elizabeth Blackwell_

Elizabeth swiftly folded the letter and then placed it into an envelope before rising and walking to the side of Professor Flitwick.

“Professor, I need to go to the Owlery to send this letter, may I be excused?”

“Certainly, certainly, you at least asked with respect. But don’t take too long, I don’t want to have to send a Prefect looking you.”

Elizabeth hurried out of the Great Hall and was soon walking down the path towards the tall solitary building that was the Owlery. She could see owls coming and going from the structure and was soon climbing the stairs to search the building for her owl. She had nearly given up on the search when the owl landed beside her.

“Hello Stormy, I have a letter for Luna Lovegood-Scamander, please take it to her for me.”

Elizabeth slipped her hand into her pocket to retrieve one of the owl treats and then withdrew it to offer the treat to the owl. Stormy gobbled it swiftly and then accepted the letter before taking flight and vanishing out through one of the open windows. The girl watched the bird disappear into the distance and then started back down the stairs to return to the castle.

She had just stepped off of the stairs when she heard her name screamed and she looked in the direction of the noise to see a strange witch with graying hair standing in her path. A quick assessment of the situation revealed that the wand of the other witch was drawn and Elizabeth reached down to draw her own.

“Who are you and what are you doing on Hogwarts grounds?”

“Who I am is unimportant, but what I am doing here is! I’m going to kill you, Elizabeth Blackwell, you have become far too inquisitive for your own good and I cannot allow it to continue.”

A second before the arm of the other witch rose to cast the curse Elizabeth was already moving as she prepared for her own strike. The opposing curses met in mid-flight to explode violently in a thunderclap of noise that alerted many in the castle. A second strike blasted a section of stone from the stair balcony and rained debris down upon Elizabeth as she sought cover from the attack. Fright grew within the girl as attack after attack besieged her and she wondered if she truly knew enough to fight back.

“Why is the mighty Elizabeth Blackwell hiding from me? I thought that you were all-powerful, especially after she defeated one like Gabriel Koeppler and those who struck at Hogsmeade.”

Elizabeth listened to the rants as she circled the building and peeked around the corner. She could see the witch cautiously searching for her while she advanced with her wand drawn. A fight had begun that would only end when one of the combatants was dead and the girl knew that she could expect no mercy. Running from the scene would only invite a curse to her back and Elizabeth thought about the possible courses of action as the witch approached the tower.

“I’m going to kill you, Elizabeth, and then I’m going to enjoy parading your severed head before my comrades. Your death will be very slow and painful, but I will savor every scream and beg for mercy. I just hope one of your little friends comes up here to look for you and finds your dead body before I kill them too. Maybe I’ll visit your precious Albus and kill him after I show him your head.”

The mention of her friends had several effects for Elizabeth. She remembered the words that Professor Flitwick had used to caution her and feared that it might be Lily that he sent to search for her. Then mention of Albus filled the being of the girl with anger and she made up her mind that no one was going to parade her severed head in front of anyone.

She glanced up at the precariously shaky slate roof of the structure and knew that many of the tiles had been put back into place after they had fallen. They were quite heavy and all had been cautioned about being underneath them for fear of another collapse. Inspiration struck her as she cautiously watched the other witch’s approach from the opposite direction and remembered the confrontation with Koeppler. A moment and an incantation later, there were two identical people in her hiding spot.

She slipped out of the space and then hurried back around the tower to another concealed spot where she could watch her doppelganger. The other witch had slowed her approach and Elizabeth watched as her opponent cautiously peered around the tower in an attempt to find the girl. Seizing control of the moment and situation, Elizabeth commanded her double to move slightly and betray its position.

The older witch smiled as she saw a slight movement and realized that she had found the student that she intended to kill. It had to happen soon, before too long someone would come to search for the girl and that was something that she couldn’t allow. She moved closer to the movement, ignoring the danger above and her surroundings. Abruptly she raised her wand and cast a curse at the apparently oblivious teenager.

_“Avada Kedavra!”_

The horrible green light leapt from her wand to fix the figure before her and she watched as the girl dropped her wand and screamed as she collapsed. She stepped towards the fallen child and looked down at the corpse before her.

“You weren’t as formidable as I was led to believe, Elizabeth Blackwell.”

“Perhaps, I am!”

The unexpected voice startled the witch that was even then leaning down with a dagger to remove the head of the body that even now was fading from view. A moment later she was nearly struck by a slate tile which had been dropped from the roof above and, as she whirled to face this attack, a jet of water from the nearby body of water slammed into her with the force of a locomotive. Dazed by the unexpected assault, the witch dropped her wand and was only beginning to recover her senses when she was struck by the third attack from her opponent.

_“Petrificus Totalus!”_

She felt herself collapsing forward after her legs had snapped tightly closed together and her arms slapped to her sides. Elizabeth, watching from her vantage point, considered for a moment the fact that the witch rather resembled a toy soldier that a Muggle child might play with. Then the soldier fell forward, obviously a casualty of battle, and the victor hurried forward to gather the wand that had fallen to the ground. It slid into her pocket just as the POP of apparation sounded and she whirled, wand drawn, to face this new opponent.

Tobias Leeds raised his hands to display the fact that they were empty as he approached his student slowly.

“Are you alright, Miss Blackwell?”

“Yes, I’m okay. I just want to know who this is and why she wanted to kill me.”

Professor Leeds glanced at the damage that had been dealt to the owlery and then drew his wand before casting the enchantment that would repair it. He turned back to the fallen witch and then at the student who stood over her.

“Why is she wet?”

“Professor, you know that I prefer the elven magic that relies on life to other disciplines. The stream over there provided the water that I needed to strike a non-lethal blow. I don’t have any wish to spend the remainder of my life in Azkaban for using one of the Unforgivable Curses.”

A second POP followed by yet others alerted them to the fact that Harry Potter had arrived and with him several Aurors.

“Professor Leeds, Elizabeth, is everyone okay?”

“We’re fine, Mister Potter, but Miss Blackwell has had a run in with the very wet individual that you find petrified on the ground here.”

“I have her wand here, Harry,” Elizabeth offered as she drew the wand from her pocket to hand it to the father of her boyfriend. “She used it to try to kill me.”

Harry looked down at the wand that he had been handed before slipping it into his own robes and then stepping forward to look down at the witch that still lay on the grass.

“Nice job, Elizabeth,” he murmured as he drew his own wand and waved it.

The prone body that had been on the ground gently lifted into the air and the Auror that had accompanied Harry stepped forward to take hold of the robes of the prisoner. He nodded at Elizabeth before vanishing with a POP. Harry turned back to the girl before speaking as he prepared to leave.

“Do you have any messages for my son, Elizabeth?”

“Yes, I do! I want an owl from him soon or I’ll turn him into a pink rat with feathers.”

Harry laughed at the threat that the girl had made and then nodded while reaching up to wipe the tears from his eyes that the laughter had brought.

“I’ll personally see to it that you get an owl from him, Elizabeth.”

“Thank you, Harry.”

“Also, tell Lily hi for me and that I love her.”

The headmaster and the girl watched as the Auror vanished with a POP and then turned to look back at the castle. Tobias Leeds looked at the girl next to him and then finally spoke.

“Do you want to walk back to Hogwarts or go back with me through apparation?”

“I think that I have had quite enough of walking today, Professor Leeds. Can I get a ride back?”

The girl reached out to take the sleeve of the wizard’s robes a moment before they vanished with a POP. They appeared just outside the Great Hall and Elizabeth released the sleeve and stepped away before turning back to the headmaster.

“Thank you, Professor Leeds.”

“You are very welcome, Miss Blackwell.”

Elizabeth hurried back to the table that her friends occupied to find them, as well as the rest of the students in the Great Hall staring at her.

“What?” She finally asked as she sat down at the table.

“What happened out there? You said that you wouldn’t be gone long but it seemed like forever. Then, when you do show up, you have burn marks on your robes and we all heard what sounded like an explosion,” Lily responded.

“I encountered some difficulty when I went to the Owlery to send my letter to Luna.”

“Difficulty?” Lily asked.

“Yeah, let’s just say that I ran into someone that didn’t like me much and we had a disagreement that required the use of our wands.”

Her friends gasped as they realized that their friend had just fought a duel.

“Who won?” Lily asked.

“Well, I’m not the one who is sitting in the custody of the Aurors.”

“Did you see my Dad?”

“Yeah, he told me to tell you that he said hi and that he loves you.”

“That’s my Dad!” Lily answered as her face took on a hue similar to her hair color.

Her friends laughed at reaction of the young Prefect and they were just settling back down when a noise in the Entry Foyer alerted Lily to a problem and she rose from her seat to hurry in that direction. Elizabeth rose as well and followed her friend out of the chamber while a Slytherin Prefect also made his way towards the disturbance.

Two very familiar boys were tumbling on the ground as they fought and a circle of students began to gather around them to cheer them on while the trio pushed their way through the crowd. Lily got there first and reached down to drag the twins to their feet, only to catch a wild swing in her face. She staggered backwards to land in a heap while the Slytherin Prefect grabbed the boys and, cheering his luck at them both being Gryffindor, hustled them away from the area as they walked towards Professor Leeds’ office.

Elizabeth, left alone to deal with the crowd, raised her wand to her throat and roared out a command that was also a warning.

“I want everyone to line up against the wall and stay there. Anyone that leaves this area loses one hundred points for their House.”

“You’re not a Prefect anymore, Blackwell, you can’t tell us what to do,” a familiar voice called out.

Elizabeth fixed Meredith with a glare as she spoke.

“One hundred points from Slytherin for disrespect to a Teaching Assistant! Does anyone else have anything to say?”

The low muttering that had been going on was immediately silent and then the students, save Meredith, walked to the wall to line up as commanded.

“Are you all crazy? She’s only one person, she can’t figure out who all of us are, let’s go.”

“Weasley, you have already lost one hundred points for us, but you had better not lose anymore, because there are a lot of dark corners down in Slytherin,” a tall dark haired girl said menacingly.

The smaller girl swallowed hard and then walked to the wall where she stood away from everyone. Elizabeth turned back to Lily, who was beginning to rouse, her lip swollen and her face bruised. There were several hushed whispers and a bit of laughter at Lily’s appearance until Elizabeth turned and gave them another murderous look. The silence that followed was immediate and she turned back to her friend.

“Are you okay?”

“I think so.”

Elizabeth looked up at movement by her side and she turned to see Beatrice next to her.

“Do you need help?”

“Yes, Beatrice, I do. Can you please walk Lily to the Hospital Wing while I deal with this group?”

“Sure.”

Elizabeth watched as her friends walked away from the crowd and then turned to the group that faced her.

“Separate into House groups!”

The students, knowing what she planned, quickly moved to get into groups and then watched as she took a mental note of the members of each House before speaking.

“Five points for each of you shall be taken from your respective Houses! Every one of you had a chance to break that up and didn’t. Instead you stood and watched it and, even worse, cheered it on! All of you should also face detention, but I shall allow Professor Leeds to decide that.”

“They shall face detention in addition to the loss of points, Miss Blackwell.”

Elizabeth turned to see Professor McGonagall behind her and then stepped aside to allow the older woman to speak.

“Miss Blackwell was certainly in her right to take points from you and also in her decision that you each need to face detention. Two nights of detention shall be assigned to each of you as well as an owl home to your parents. Each one of you shall follow me back into the Great Hall so that I can have you write down your name. I want to give credit where credit is due and my quill is more than ready.”

With nothing left to do but hurry to the table and gather their things, Elizabeth made haste to do so before rushing on to the Hospital Wing. When she arrived there she found Lily sitting on one of the beds while the nurse prepared Pain-B-Gone for her. Knowing better than to stick around of face the potion for themselves, Elizabeth and Beatrice hurried from the room to wait for their friend.

Two chairs appeared in the hall for them to sit in and they were soon separating their belongings from the pile that Elizabeth had gathered. Lily’s things were gathered into a neat pile and it was Elizabeth who was brave enough to step back into the room to deliver them, all the while under the watchful eye of the nurse. She placed them on the bed next to her sleeping friend and then scurried out of the room to rejoin Beatrice.

“Let’s get out of here,” she hissed, “she gave me that look!”

The girls walked on to their next class and soon were reading the assignment that Professor Grims had decided on. Elizabeth made certain to take careful notes and watched as the second quill at her side moved by itself to copy everything that she wrote. Lily would get everything that she needed to prepare for a coming exam.

The remainder of the day passed uneventfully and soon they were settling down in the Great Hall to the evening meal, joined by Lily who had been released from the hospital. Elizabeth was eating a helping of Cherry Crisp when Lily suddenly poked her in the ribs with her elbow and nodded her head towards the door. Elizabeth turned her head to see a tall blonde woman stepping into the room while wearing a very strange looking pair of glasses. Conversation ended as people noticed the woman and the girls could only watch as the woman walked to their table and then sat down across from them and extended her hand.

“Hello Elizabeth Blackwell, I’m Luna Lovegood-Scamander and it’s very good to meet you.”


	14. Luna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A former student comes back to render aid to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth looked across the table at the witch that faced her while trying to determine just what the woman was wearing over her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Elizabeth, is something wrong?”

“No, not at all, I’m just a little tired,” the girl answered after recovering from shock.

“You’re just being polite, in many ways you’re very much like her father,” the witch said as she indicated Lily. “Harry Potter would often say polite things to avoid hurting the feelings of my father and me.”

“Thank you for coming, I didn’t think that you would be able to respond so swiftly. I actually expected an owl, rather than a personal visit.”

“When I saw that you were a friend of Harry Potter’s daughter I could not wait to meet you. You are actually also quite famous and it is a pleasure to help you. What do you need Spectrespecs for? Are there Wrackspurts about? You will know that there are if your brain goes fuzzy.” _(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)_

“Well, at times I do find thinking hard, but I really don’t think that I have Wrackspurts in my head. What I really need them for is really very special.”

“Perhaps they can help you if I know what you need them for.”

“I can’t talk about it right now, but could we meet in private to talk about it.”

“I will be happy to meet with you. Where would you like to go?”

“The Transfiguration Classroom would be perfect.”

The pair of witches rose, one of them very aware that they were likely being watched. They walked out of the Great Hall and walked down the corridor towards their destination as Patricia watched them with alarm. She craned her neck in an attempt to watch them and then settled back down into her seat as she realized that the head of her House was watching her.

Elizabeth and Luna hurried through the corridors while Luna marveled at how familiar the halls were. Many, Professor McGonagall among them, believed that at some point the witch would return to teach in one of the very rooms that she had studied in. Her presence in the Great Hall had reinforced those beliefs although many of them wondered why she was wearing the Spectrespecs once again. They finally arrived at the Transfiguration Classroom and Elizabeth turned to seal the closed doors with her wand before turning to Luna.

“You are acting very strangely Elizabeth, perhaps the Wrackspurts have infested your head far more greatly than I imagined. Strange though, I do not see them in your head.”

“Luna, I need to know if the Spectrespecs can see the true form of those who are using Poly-Juice Potion.”

“They can see many things, but what you want to see isn’t possible with them. Why? Do you think that perhaps someone is using Poly-Juice here at Hogwarts?”

“If not Poly-Juice, something very similar, because I have a very strong feeling that someone here is not what they appear to be. The fact that I was recently attacked near the Owlery tells me that there is definitely somebody that doesn’t want me digging into things.”

“Well, you have no Wrackspurts in your head, so your mind has not gone fuzzy. What does Harry Potter say about these things?”

“I haven’t told him about my suspicions. I’m afraid to talk to too many people about this. I don’t want word to get out.”

“I’m sorry; Elizabeth, but I can’t help you.”

The girl nodded and then the pair left the classroom, but not before Luna looked around it once again. There were a lot of memories for the older witch in this room. As they walked once again across the courtyard Luna stopped for a moment and Elizabeth wondered what was going through her mind.

“I wonder if they’re having pudding for dessert.”

“I think that I saw some.”

“Elizabeth, I can’t help you, but I know someone who might be able to. Do you go into Hogsmeade?”

“Yes, when they let us.”

“Do you know the apothecary there?”

“Yes, why?”

“My grandmother used to brew a potion that told her when my father and his brothers and sisters told lies. It reveals secrets by letting you see the guilty persons. It is safe to use, but she often wondered if it truly worked as well as she had hoped. Even if it didn’t they were so worried that it did that they never tried to lie to her.”

“Does the apothecary have what I need to brew the potion?”

“Yes, it is almost the same as Veritaserum but with one difference. This potion has you drink it in order for you to see the truth. Professor Tindwell doesn’t have Himalayan Flea Dandruff in his stores, does he?”

“Himalayan Flea Dandruff?”

“The most important part of the potion but you will need to make certain that it’s fresh because stale dandruff won’t work. The taste of the potion is rather bitter, it reminded me of Pain-B-Gone, but the effect is instant.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful. No, Professor Tindwell doesn’t have Flea Dandruff in his stores, not that I have seen anyhow.”

“The recipe calls for a vial of it and it needs to be dissolved completely in the potion, no lumps!”

“I don’t have the formula for the potion.”

A moment later a small parchment was being pushed into the hand of the young witch and she watched as the older witch skipped away down the corridor towards the Great Hall and the pudding. Elizabeth looked down at the parchment in her hand after unrolling it and blanched as she read the formula. One of the main components was Pain-B-Gone and she knew where she had to go to get that, but would the nurse give it to her without making her take it?

Elizabeth glanced at the formula again and shuddered as the thought of taking even diluted Pain-B-Gone went through her mind. She could almost taste it in her mouth and even this imagined dose of the remedy that children all over the wizarding world dreaded was enough to make her almost sick. The taste of the medicine was somewhere between ghastly and horrific with a pinch of terrible thrown in. Many swore that the medicine was sentient as it seemed to leap for the mouths and then push its way down the throat of the unfortunates that were forced to endure it. Then it refused to allow the patient to throw it back up, many patients claiming that it had hidden claws that prevented its expulsion. The good thing about the potion was the fact that it was incredibly efficient at curing whatever ailed a person, even if they didn’t know that they were sick, not to mention the fact that it nearly guaranteed a long and peaceful nap afterwards.

Many children claimed that it had been invented by either some demented grandmother who enjoyed tormenting children with terrible tastes or some troll who aspired to greatness by producing a mixture which would cure the baldness that his race was forced to endure (which it didn’t).

Asking Chloe to bring her even a small amount would be enough to convince the sometimes overly helpful elf that she was ill and then the girl knew that her mother would send an owl to the school insisting on treatment of some ailment. No, there had to be some other way to get what she needed without taking the risk of having to endure a full dose of the liquid.

She finally arrived back at the Great Hall and the crowd that was emerging from it. Her friends met her at the doorway and they hurried up towards the Gryffindor Common Room while Patricia watched Elizabeth with trepidation. The fact that the girl had summoned Luna Lovegood worried her, she wondered what was Blackwell up to and how could she be stopped? If the girl had managed to gain some advantage it needed to be defeated, but first a lot of information was needed and the only way to get it was to get closer to her enemy.

She already knew about the attack, it had been ordered to draw the attention away from her and her cohort. The fact that the girl had returned unscathed told her that Blackwell had managed to defeat the one chosen to strike. It was no huge loss, however, the witch that had volunteered for the chore had been highly inept and her loss would make no difference in the larger scheme of things. She didn’t even have enough information about the Dark Lord to make the inevitable questioning of her by the Aurors dangerous. Not even the use of Veritaserum or a Legilimens could endanger them.

As useful as getting close to Elizabeth Blackwell would be, Patricia knew that she also had to be careful doing it. Many in their circle suspected that Elizabeth was a Legilimens and a powerful at that. Those involved in the strike against her which had put Chandler and his puppet Wilfred Craig-Hamston into Azkaban had told that the girl seemed to know ahead of time when something was going to happen and that they had, at time, experienced the eerie feeling of their thoughts being sifted.

She lost sight of the older girl and her friends and then walked with the wave of Slytherin students back down to the warren that extended under the lake. It was only here that she felt at home as the familiar surroundings comforted her. It had been a long time since she had been a student who called this place home and somehow she had managed to be assigned to the very bed in which she had slept while attending Hogwarts. The familiar door admitted her into the dorm and she hurried to change into her bed clothing before sitting down on her bed to wait for her dorm mates to leave. When the last of the young girls hurried out to race to the lavatory to brush their teeth and prepare for bed she reached into her cabinet to find the small box that she sought.

Three quick taps of her wand persuaded the box to open and she quickly drew the vial out before unstopping it and drinking the contents. A hand reached out of the box to claim the emptied vial and she spoke solemnly to the unseen person.

“It will be done soon.”

“Good, make certain that she either joins us or dies. If she chooses the latter, it needs to be very long and painful.”

“That is exactly what I had planned, Master.”

The box closed slowly and Patricia hurried to conceal it once again in her cabinet before walking out of the room to follow the girls to the lavatory. She needed to keep up appearances that she was nothing more than a silly eleven year old girl and the last thing that she needed was for one of the Prefects to see the need to deal with her. She passed a few girls already on their way back from the lavatory and hurried to get into the room to do what she needed to do. There was no chance that anyone would find the box, that much was certain, but she didn’t want them poking about in her things while she was gone. Too much about her true identity could be revealed.

The shriek of laughter reached her ears as she entered the room and a young girl dripping wet with water from one of the sinks stormed past her. Unaware of the nature of the person she was meeting and not caring if they were involved or not, the girl shoved Patricia aside to slam her into a wall. A moment later, that girl was writhing on the ground shrieking as her insides felt like they were being torn apart by some unseen assailant. She screamed out in pain several times while a crowd gathered around her to look at her with curiosity. A Prefect appeared a moment later to investigate the disturbance and soon was leading the stricken girl to the Hospital Wing and a dose of Pain-B-Gone.

Patricia hurried to brush her teeth and then walked back to her dorm while she pretended to be interested in eleven year old girl talk. Most of it was about the misfortune of their dorm mate and all knew that she would be enduring the terror of all children, sick or ill. She climbed into bed and pulled the covers up over her while she tried to ignore the talk that didn’t end until a Prefect stepped in and demanded it. She feigned sleep while she imagined her enemy writhing on the ground under the Cruciatus before the Killing Curse struck her.

_‘I hope that you won’t come over to us, Elizabeth Blackwell, because I want to be the one who watches you beg for mercy before I kill you!’_

This blissful thought ran through her mind until sleep finally claimed her.

Elizabeth thought about her dilemma while she prepared to get into bed. Asking one of the elves in the castle was out, for they would alert the nurse and she would be forced to take the potion. None of her friends would volunteer to do it for her for the same fear. That meant that her only chance to get what she needed was to either steal it (which there was no way that she was going to do) or hope that the apothecary had some that she could get a small amount of.

As a sixth year with permission to do so, she knew that she could go to Hogsmeade at will. Students were always welcome in the village as they had Galleons to spend and she was a common sight in the book shop or apothecary. She made up her mind to go to the village at the soonest opportunity to gain what she needed and there was no time like tomorrow.

Professor Leeds was taking a group of third years on their first outing and any older student that wanted to go was permitted, as long as their marks were good enough and they had the signed permission slip. She had the slip in her bag and marks that were good enough to make her a Teaching Assistant were good enough to go to Hogsmeade. The blonde teen slipped under the covers and was immediately joined by Tiger, who slid into his customary place under her chin after she had rolled over onto her side. Her nose buried in the fur of the cat, Elizabeth fell asleep quickly to enjoy the rest.

Victoria lay awake in her own dorm as she reveled in the fact that her older sister had accepted her. Elizabeth was everything that she had hoped for and more, being kind and smart. The younger girl hated the way that some of the other first years made fun of her sister when Elizabeth wasn’t around and Patricia was the worst. The girl from Slytherin tried to pretend that she wanted to be friends with Elizabeth and then said terrible things about her once class was over.

The worst part about Patricia was the fact that she was incredibly scary and liked to be mean to other students in their year. When no older students were around she would show off the things that she could do in order to intimidate her classmates. She had claimed that her father had shown her how to do things, but Victoria wondered about this because everyone knew that Patricia was a Muggle-born, she’d said so. Muggles couldn’t do magic, everyone knew that, so how could her father show her how to do the things that she could do? Victoria had considered telling Elizabeth about all of this, but didn’t want her sister to think that she was tattling. Having an older sister who was a Teaching Assistant was one thing, but using her to deal with a problem was another entirely. She didn’t want the older girl angry with her.

The young girl finally fell asleep wondering what to do and hoping that the answer would come to her overnight.

Lily walked down a silent and poorly lit corridor with her wand drawn to provide a bit more light. It always brought grumbles from the portraits when a Prefect, or anyone, did this. The interruption of their sleep was not taken lightly and the sudden lighting of a corridor or classroom was always enough to bring about complaints from them. The job that she had taken on had proven challenging to the girl and, at times, she found herself wishing that Elizabeth hadn’t opted for the post that she had accepted.

A noise alerted her to the presence of someone approaching her and she dowsed her wand to step back into the shadows. Moments later a pair of first year girls scurried into the corridor giggling at their own bravado.

“Miss Blackwell will just about flip when she sees what we wrote on the board about her and Professor McGonagall! She thinks that she’s so special since they made her a Teaching Assistant.”

“The Gryffindor that I hate is Lily Potter! She thinks that the Prefect’s badge that she probably polishes every night lets her get away with whatever she wants to do. I feel like walking up to her and taking her wand then breaking it right in front of her.”

“Why don’t you do it then? I’m right here.”

The first years froze in fright as the wand reignited and bathed the corridor as well as their faces in light. Lily stepped out of the shadows to approach the pair and then reached out to grasp their robes while she escorted them back to the Transfiguration Classroom. A nearly destroyed room greeted them and on the board vile things had been written about both Elizabeth and Professor McGonagall. She looked down at the girls, both Hufflepuffs, and frowned at them before speaking.

“Hufflepuff won the House Cup last term, but if you first years keep going they’ll be so far in the hole that it will take a decade to see daylight. You each just lost fifty points for your house for disrespect to a professor and a teaching assistant, not to mention damaging a classroom and teaching equipment. You need to be back here first thing in the morning to clean up the mess that you have created, I’ll let Miss Blackwell know who to expect. Now get to your dorms and if I find out that you haven’t I’ll take one hundred for each of you.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the girls replied as they hurried away towards the Hufflepuff area of the castle.

Lily watched them vanish into the distance and soon was quite alone within the cavernous corridor. As she walked through the castle she found herself wishing for the company of her friends, or even Albus. She loved her older brothers, and was overjoyed that someday Elizabeth would not only be her sister in law but also the mother of her nieces or nephews, but sometimes they could really annoy her. Being the youngest child and the only girl in the family had definite advantages but also a number of disadvantages. The largest one that she could think of had been when she had been made to wait with her parents at King’s Cross while watching her siblings leave for school. Then, once she had started at Hogwarts, they had played the protective older brothers any time that a boy had shown her any sort of attention.

One of the many ghosts in the castle passed her with a cheerful good evening before vanishing into the darkness. Many students had wondered how many ghosts actually inhabited Hogwarts, but there were a few that were favorites of the students among them the ghosts of the four Houses. Peeves was never going to be considered a favorite, something that irked the poltergeist, but Elizabeth had once admitted that she rather liked him and was fond of some of his pranks.

She passed a window to see that it was nearly time for her rounds to end. She was tired and wanted nothing more to sleep. A short time later, she was ascending the stairs to Gryffindor Tower and then to the dorm where she would get into bed to prepare for the coming day.

Lily opened her eyes as the pillow hit her in what seemed like a short time after she had gone to bed. She rolled over to see Elizabeth already dressed in her robes and looking at her curiously.

“Are you okay, Lily? I called you three or four times and you still want to sleep. Did you have an interesting patrol last night?”

“Yeah, there’s a note down in the Transfiguration Classroom with two names on it. Some Hufflepuff first years did some pretty thorough damage to the room. They also wrote a love note to you and Professor McGonagall on the board. I took fifty points from each of them.”

“Wow! Someone’s feeling generous! I would have taken one hundred from each. But I’ll leave it to your judgement.”

“How late is it?”

“Well, you have like ten minutes to shower, get dressed and get down to the Great Hall before I eat all of the raisin toast!”

The red headed girl nearly flew out of bed to rush to the showers while her friends walked down to the Great Hall and breakfast.

“I didn’t know that they make raisin toast for breakfast, Elizabeth,” Beatrice said as they walked.

“They don’t.”

The sixth year girls laughed as they walked down the stairs and then hurried to their normal spots at the table while their friend hurried to get showered and then dressed for school before her friends ate all of her favorite breakfast.

Elizabeth sat quietly while Victoria showed her the assignment that she had finished before showing the younger girl where to improve her responses. Many first years came to the Teaching Assistant for help and it was not uncommon for older students to do the same, regardless of their House. Victoria skipped away to retake her seat while Elizabeth stole a chance to begin eating her breakfast. She was picking up a roll when Lily came charging into the Great Hall and rushed to her seat to begin scanning the platters for raisin toast. Her eagerness faded as she remembered that what she desired was not a normal choice at breakfast. Lily stopped what she was doing to look across the table at the laughing pair.

“That wasn’t funny,” she said slowly.

“We thought so,” Beatrice answered while trying not to laugh.

“You know that Professor Leeds is taking students down to Hogsmeade today, don’t you?” Lily asked.

“Yeah,” Elizabeth answered, “why?”

“Because two Gryffindor sixth year girls might not get to go for tricking the Gryffindor sixth year girl Prefect into thinking that they were going to eat all of the raisin toast! I could have been killed rushing down here to get some before it was all gone.”

“It would have just meant more for us,” Beatrice quipped.

Lily’s eyes went wide at the answer to her playful threat and then the three of them started laughing.

“I have to go to the apothecary,” Elizabeth stated, “there are some things that I need there.”

“You mean that you aren’t going to the book seller,” Lily stated with surprise apparent in her voice.

“I might when I finish at the apothecary, then we can go to the Three Broomsticks!”

“I’ll be hitting up Honeydukes first,” Lily replied. “I hear that they have a new supply of Chocolate Frogs and Pumpkin Pasties!”

“Count me in!”

Elizabeth glanced at Victoria while her friends talked and felt sorry for her sister. First year students weren’t permitted to go to Hogsmeade unless they were with a parent. Older siblings didn’t count and so the younger children had to watch the older ones leave for the fun. She couldn’t pass up the chance, she needed the potion components, but she could always stop at Honeydukes before returning to the castle.

“All students third year or higher who have a signed note from their parents meet me in the Fountain Courtyard,” Professor Leeds announced from the lectern.

The younger students could only watch with disappointment as the older children rose to hurry to the designated meeting place. Elizabeth rushed to the side of her sister to ask a question.

“What type of sweets do you like?”

“I like Licorice Wands and Bertie Botts Every-Flavor Beans, why do you ask?”

“Just curious,” the sixth year girl answered.

Elizabeth ruffled the hair of the smaller girl and then hurried to catch up with her friends while the remaining students prepared to go to class. The group was soon emerging into the courtyard where the professor was collecting permission slips and turning away those who had none. Elizabeth fished hers out of her pocket and joined the line waiting to hand over the slips while her friends were already preparing to leave.

Professor Leeds looked at the note that she handed him and then nodded to her. She almost leapt forward to join her friends and didn’t see the face of Patricia glaring out the window at her as she disappeared through the gate and out onto the path which would take them to the village. The pale girl could only watch with anger as her target disappeared and wonder just what the sixth year was up too and how it would affect their plans.

Elizabeth, Lily and Beatrice walked together while they talked excitedly. All of them could remember their disappointment as younger students would they could not make the trip that they were making today. Now they were enjoying the day, despite the chill that was in the air as they walked towards the village.

The mind of the girl was following the conversation that she was having with her friends while thinking about her plans once they were in the village. The apothecary was certain to have what she needed and had to be her first stop. The village appeared before them as they rounded a corner and the trees parted. Immediately the students closest to the front of the line scattered to make their way to their preferred haunts.

“Are you certain that you’re going to the apothecary?” Lily asked her friend.

“I won’t be long.”

“You have to realize how much like my mother you just sounded,” Lily answered, “she used to say that any time we went to Diagon Alley. It was terrible, when we were too little to go off on our own, and she wanted to take her time shopping.”

Elizabeth and Beatrice laughed at the face that their friend made as they prepared to separate. Lily and Beatrice made a beeline to Honeydukes while Elizabeth walked purposefully to the apothecary where she swiftly filled a basket with the components that she needed. The only thing missing from the shelves was Pain-B-Gone and she swallowed hard before approaching the wizard behind the counter. He noticed her approach and smiled broadly as she arrived at the counter.

“Miss Blackwell, it is so good to see you, as always. You certainly must have something in mind, especially given the items that you have in your basket.”

“Yes, it’s very important. But there is something that I need only a small amount of and I wondered if you would sell me some.”

“Well, I deal with selling small amounts of things. What is it that you require?”

The girl swallowed hard again and then answered the question that she had been asked.

“I need some Pain-B-Gone.”

“Are you ill?”

“No, I just need it for the potion that I am preparing.”

“It must be a ghastly potion, especially if you have to take it yourself.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Is it that important?”

“Yes, I’m afraid that it is? Can you sell me just a vial or two? It’s more than the potion calls for but I want it just in case I make a mistake.”

The wizard nodded silently before turning and walking out of view only to return a short time later with two vials filled with the elixir. Elizabeth grimaced at the sight of it and then placed her basket on the counter for the man to tally. He swiftly finished and then looked at her as he placed the items in a small bag, the Pain-B-Gone being the last thing.

“One Galleon, Miss Blackwell.”

The girl reached into her pocket and drew forth the gold coin with one hand while accepting the package with the other. She handed the coin to the wizard and returned the smile that he gave her before turning and leaving the shop. A glance across the street led to her next destination, the book shop.

She waited for a moment as a group of Hogwarts students passed her and then walked across the street to the small shop to look for a book to add to her collection. The shop was much different than it had been, the old proprietor now in the custody of the Aurors at Azkaban, and the girl didn’t feel the chill that she always had before when entering the building.

“Elizabeth! How good to see you!,” the witch behind the counter announced as she recognized her customer. “I should imagine that you are here looking for something to feed that inquisitive mind of yours. I have just the thing over here,” she blustered as she led the way to a stack of books.

Elizabeth looked at the stack and her eye was immediately drawn to an old copy of Hogwarts: A History that dated back to when her grandfather had been a student. A moment later it was floating towards the counter and then landing gently on it to wait for her to finish her selections. It did not stay alone for long as several more books made the journey before the girl turned to a large shelf that held a gleaming copy of an old text from the school.

“It’s so old,” the girl breathed quietly, “how can it look like that?”

“It once belonged to Armando Dippet, a former Hogwarts Headmaster,” the witch replied, “who knows which enchantment he placed upon it.”

“Well, I have never even seen a copy of that book before and I intend to teach Transfiguration someday. I would like to have it, please.”

She watched as the book lifted from the shelf and drifted to the counter to join the others that she had picked. The girl followed it, her eyes never leaving it for a moment, until she arrived at the counter.

“You are completely intent on that book, Elizabeth. At least there is nothing dangerous within its pages.”

“I’m totally willing to buy it as long as the name Koeppler isn’t anywhere in it.”

“You certainly have good taste in books, Elizabeth, your total is going to be five Galleons and four Sickles.”

Elizabeth hurried to draw forth the requested coins while also watching the books being wrapped by the brown paper that unrolled itself only to be fastened shut by tape that sealed the package on its own. She watched with fascination as the process completed itself and then accepted the books before slipping them into the bag that she carried at her side. The components of the potion were carefully shielded from being shattered as the books dropped into what would have seemed to a Muggle as an impossibly small space. The witch didn’t seem to even notice, she had seen such things before, and waved to Elizabeth as she walked out through the door of the shop.

The girl paused at Honeydukes where she bought several Licorice Wands and packages of Bertie Botts Every-Flavor Beans for Victoria before choosing a number of Pumpkin Pasties and Chocolate Frogs for herself. She wasn’t worried about the money that she was spending, her purse was still nearly full of coins and she still had to stop to see her friends at the Three Broomsticks.

As she walked towards the Three Broomsticks she didn’t notice the rather ragged looking wizard who watched her from the shadows formed by two buildings any more than she had noticed the small mouse that had slipped out of the apothecary after her. He watched the girl intently as she walked towards the popular business and wondered just exactly what she was up to. The potion ingredients that she had selected were an odd arrangement and that she wanted to buy a small amount of Pain-B-Gone was puzzling. Something was amiss and it was time that he made a report to the Dark Lord, perhaps he could make something of the mystery.

He watched with disappointment as the girl vanished into the building and then vanished with a POP to give his report to his superior.


	15. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Elizabeth prepares for her plan the forces of darkness strike against the Weasley clan.

Lily looked up as Elizabeth entered the building and then hurried to their table. The keeper hurried to the new arrival and soon was walking away to get another glass of Butterbeer. Elizabeth settled down into a chair and listened to her friends while she took a sip of the beverage and looked longingly at the table closest to the mantle. She and Albus had made it their spot and always tried to sit there when possible. Now it was occupied by another young couple and she felt a pang of jealousy, the girl had her young man while Elizabeth’s was elsewhere far from here.

“Are you okay, Elizabeth?”

The girl turned her head to see Lily looking at her with concern.

“I’m fine, just lost in thought.”

“You really miss him, don’t you?”

“Only a little,” Elizabeth said as a tear rand down her cheek to land on the tabletop. Elizabeth reached up to wipe the next one away while her friends watched with sympathy.

“If it helps any,” Lily broke in, “he would sit in his room and look at the pictures of the two of you constantly over the summer when you couldn’t be there. He really does love you, Elizabeth.”

The teen managed a brief smile before taking another sip of the drink before her. A bowl of thick soup had appeared before her to match the ones that had appeared before her friends. The girls dug into the meal, enjoying the soup and the thick bread that went with it while they talked.

“Did you get what you needed in the apothecary?”

“I got everything.”

“It must be something interesting for you to act as mysterious as you have been.”

“One of the components is a bit unorthodox,” Elizabeth answered after swallowing a mouthful of soup, "and I wasn’t certain that I could get it as easily as I did.”

“What is it?” Beatrice asked enthusiastically. “You know that I love Potions class.”

Elizabeth looked around the room and then finally quietly spoke.

“Pain-B- Gone!”

The reactions from her friends were varied as Lily nearly choked on the sip of Butterbeer that she had just taken while Beatrice shrieked.

“You got what at the apothecary? What in the name of Merlin did you want that for?”

“Quiet!" Elizabeth hissed. "You want them to hear you all the way to King’s Cross Station?”

Lily managed to recover enough to speak again and she looked at her friend with incredulous eyes.

“Elizabeth, you know that they’ll give that to you if you go to the Hospital Wing, you don’t need to buy it.”

“I don’t want to take it, who in their right mind would want to? I needed a small amount for the potion. If I walk into the Hospital Wing and say that I want some she’ll give me a full dose. You heard her, didn’t you? She said that everyone has something wrong with them!”

“You’re really putting that stuff into a potion?” Beatrice asked.

“That’s what the formula that Luna gave me calls for.”

“Yuck!” Lily said as he stuck out her tongue and shivered, “I always hated it when Mom would give it to me. There was no faking taking it either, she stood and watched me swallow it.”

The friends of the girl trembled as their own memories mirrored that of the red-head.

“Enough talk about that stuff please,” Lily said, “I’ll have nightmares about it.”

The girls settled back to their meals and drinks while others in the room wondered what they had been talking about and what had brought on the shriek from Beatrice. The trio talked for a while after finishing their meals and drinks before noticing that the crowd had begun to thin as students left the room to begin the walk back towards the castle. They dawdled for a while longer until they too rose to walk back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Tobias Leeds watched as the girls left the building while he tried to account for all of the students that had come with him on the outing. The whereabouts of the sixth and seventh year students, and even some of the fifth years, weren’t as much of a concern as those of the third and fourth years. The older students were more than capable of fending for themselves and only a very foolish witch or wizard would attempt to tackle a group of pupils, especially the trio of girls that had just walked past him. All of them were formidable in a duel and the three together comprised a force to be reckoned with.

A second group of students joined the trio and this left him with only a few stragglers as the names of those children vanished from the list of the ones still in town. Honeydukes was the most likely place to find them and the headmaster rolled up the parchment in his hand before walking towards the shop.

The larger group walked back towards the castle, quite aware that soon they would be outside the magical shield that blocked those who intended harm from entering the school. The air around them seemed to quiver as they walked through the gates and were back on school grounds. There was still plenty of daylight remaining and, as soon as she was back in the castle, Elizabeth hurried to find her sister.

Victoria was sitting in the Great Hall studying for her Potions exam when her sister appeared next to her and held out a bag. The younger girl looked up at her older sibling and then opened the bag to peer inside. Her eyes went wide and she nearly shrieked with excitement, but managed to contain it, as she saw the treats inside the package. The small girl stretched up to hug the older child and Elizabeth marveled at the sensation of having a sister that loved her. It was all so different than the relationship that she had with Anne.

Elizabeth settled down at her normal spot to pull the package of books out of her bag before unwrapping the binding around them. She selected the old textbook that had once belonged to Professor Dippet to open it and begin reading. Her younger sister watched the older girl intently for a while before turning back to her own studies. Victoria didn’t know what Elizabeth was reading but she had a feeling that it was something related to the school.

Minerva McGonagall walked down the aisle between tables while the younger students worked and noticed the sixth year that she had selected as her Teaching Assistant intently reading a book that she had never seen before. Remembering the last time that Elizabeth had done something like this she hurried to the side of the younger witch.

“Miss Blackwell, may I ask what you are reading?”

The girl looked up at the older woman and smiled.

“Don’t worry, Professor McGonagall, it’s only an old textbook from here.”

“I’ve never seen one like this before, do you know who it belonged to?”

“Headmaster Armando Dippet,” the girl answered as she turned the pages back to reveal the name neatly written inside the front cover.

“Merlin’s Beard!” Professor McGonagall exclaimed. “Elizabeth, that book has been missing for years. Everyone thought that Voldemort had destroyed it along with the remainder of the belongings in Armando’s home. How it managed to survive is a mystery, the headmaster was very fond of placing protective enchantments on his things, but Voldemort managed to do a great deal of harm. Where did you manage to find it?”

“The book shop in Hogsmeade. It was on a shelf and it seemed to call to me.”

“Well, it certainly managed to find its way into good hands. I should imagine that you will put it to good use in class.”

“That is exactly what I intended, Professor McGonagall. There are some transfigurations that I want to experiment with before I use them in lessons, but a lot of what I have seen is very usable in class.”

The older witch smiled and bent to look more closely at hand-written notes that her former headmaster had made in the margins while he was a student before smiling.

“Armando had a particular wit,” she announced to her student. “You’re actually quite a lot like him, Elizabeth, always searching for something to learn and not happy with yourself until you have done so. I have no doubt that after several years of teaching you shall find yourself sitting behind the very desk that he did as headmaster and adding your own artifacts to the cabinets in that office.”

Elizabeth smiled up at the witch that had become her closest counsel before McGonagall walked away to continue her rounds of the room. She went back to the book and had the strangest feeling that she was being watched. Lifting her eyes from the pages of the book, she couldn’t find anyone watching her and she glanced back down at the book before recoiling in near horror as she saw the single eye that was watching her.

Sensing nothing amiss she rose from the bench with the book open before her and, after gathering her things, walked out of the room to hurry to the courtyard outside. She scurried to a vacant bench where she sat down to examine the book once again. The single eye regarded her with the same interest that it had in the Great Hall.

“Professor Dippet?”

“I thought that I had heard my name spoken and just who, I might ask, are you and how did you manage to get my book?”

“My name is Elizabeth Blackwell, and I bought this book in the shop in Hogsmeade.”

“You bought my book at the shop in Hogsmeade? Just how in the name of Merlin did it end of there?”

“I really don’t know, Professor Dippet, I went to the shop and saw it there and just had to have it. My studies here at Hogwarts specialize in Transfiguration and I’ve been selected as a Teaching Assistant for that class.”

“I had noticed the pin on your robes, who is your professor?”

“Professor Minerva McGonagall,” she responded.

“I had quite forgotten that she had become a professor. I actually remember her in my class as though it were only yesterday. So you have obviously impressed her if she offered you one of those pins, does this mean that she is preparing to retire?”

“She has mentioned it, but I really don’t think that it shall be anytime soon.”

“Minerva was a wonderful student, always ready to prove that she was capable of anything that I asked of her. She obviously feels the same way about you if you are her Teaching Assistant.”

“She was amazed that I had found this book, Professor Dippet, she assumed that Voldemort had destroyed it along with everything else in your home.”

“Tom Riddle was a talented student, but he used what he learned within the walls of the castle for evil purposes. Albus Dumbledore thought highly of him at first, but soon learned that it would have been better for all concerned if he had never been brought here as a student.”

“I hope that no one ever thinks that way of me.”

“They already do, Miss Blackwell, you are regarded as exceptionally intelligent and talented, with just a taste of mischief thrown in. But you are in no way considered the way that Tom Riddle was. Yes, Miss Blackwell, I have heard much about you and have observed you from the confines of the portraits. You will do well, of that I am certain. All that you need to do is to follow the course that you have set. Someday, I believe, your portrait shall join those that hang on the walls in the Headmaster’s Office.”

“I believe that I would like that.”

“And well you should, Miss Blackwell, the post that you may someday assume is not filled easily and definitely not for those who are unwise. You may use this book should you seek my counsel.”

“Thank you, Professor Dippet.”

Elizabeth watched as the eye closed and then vanished before turning the page and examining yet more ideas for classes that she wanted to teach. For now, she had to be content to do as Professor McGonagall wanted her to do, but someday she would be the professor and she wanted to be prepared. It would be amazing to take the book back into the very classroom that Dippet had once used as a student and then a professor to present lessons from it.

She sat for a long time reading out of the book, only rising when the bell in the tower told her that it was time for the evening meal. The girl walked across the courtyard and through the front doors of the castle to walk into the Great Hall and then to her customary seat where she joined her friends.

“Where did you go? You just seemed to have vanished,” Lily said.

“I was just out in the courtyard reading one of my new books.”

“I should have known, my friend Elizabeth, professional bookworm,” the red-head finished with a smile.

“So when are you starting your secret project?” Beatrice asked.

“I’m going to do it in the box where my lab is. That way, no one will be able to disturb me, and I can be certain of safety.”

“You think that it might be dangerous?” Lily asked with alarm clear on her face.

“It never hurts to be certain, besides considering the fact that I’m using Pain-B-Gone, you never know what might happen.”

Both of the other girls shuddered again while they prepared to eat and Elizabeth looked up to see that she was being watched again. Patricia was openly watching her and it made the older girl hopeful that the child had changed her mind and was prepared to accept the help that was being offered to her. The girl had not been as surly as she had been at the start of the term and it gave the sixth year optimism. Maybe the girl was over what ever had been bothering her about school and they could get on with lessons.

The meal appeared before them while Patricia noted that she had made eye contact with the sixth year student. She knew that Elizabeth was up to something, she just wasn’t certain what and this bothered her. Elizabeth Blackwell was resourceful and intelligent and not easily fooled. If she got wind of the true identity of one of her students a duel was certain and she had heard a lot about the dueling capabilities of her potential opponent. The girl was formidable and unpredictable when dueling and had bested many opponents. She would have to be careful and catch the girl when she least expected it.

Elizabeth felt more eyes boring into her and looked across the room to see Meredith glaring at her once again. She wasn’t certain why the girl was angry with her again, but obviously she was given the look on the younger girl’s face. Elizabeth returned to her meal, ignoring the glares and enraging the girl even more.

“Look at her over there, proud as a peacock and not afraid to flout the pins on her robes. I should just walk over there and tear each and every one of them off,” Meredith Weasley announced to whoever would listen to her bluster. She didn’t know why she was angry with Elizabeth either, but that didn’t matter to her, she was just angry with the older student.

Part of it had to do with the poor mark that Elizabeth had given her on a recent assignment. The mark was much lower than she was used to or would accept. What made things worse was the fact that Professor McGonagall had stood up for Blackwell when Meredith had argued about the state of things. Blackwell had the complete support of the elder professor and it angered many, especially in Slytherin House.

The other part of it was the fact that Elizabeth was a close friend of her cousins, something that angered the young girl highly. She didn’t much care for her cousins, they were all goody two shoes in her opinion, and couldn’t even start to see things the way that she did. Elizabeth Blackwell had also managed to become engaged to Albus Potter, yet another cousin, and that meant that someday they would be remotely related to each other. She hated Potter, she hated Blackwell, and she intended to hate any children that they produced.

Elizabeth was enjoying the pot roast that she had put on her plate and already had a piece of chicken wrapped in a napkin in her pocket for Tiger. The pumpkin juice was fresh and she was enjoying the conversation with her friends while they ate. Some of the sting of seeing someone else sitting where Albus always had had worn away and she was able to get through meals without shedding tears. The decorations overhead told all that they were nearing the holidays already and they had yet to see any snow. All hoped that it would come soon because the weather was certainly cold enough for it.

“I just can’t stand the sight of her or the thought that someday she might be related to me. It’s all so disgusting and humiliating! I, Meredith Weasley, having to put up with being related to Elizabeth Blackwell, I just want to vomit!”

“Well, don’t do it here, Meredith, we’re all trying to eat,” one of her companions replied.

Meredith slammed her fork down, rose and then stormed out of the Great Hall while several eyes watched her leave.

“Now that half of the noise on this side of the room is gone, maybe we can settle down to eating without trying to concentrate,” the boy announced as he watched her go.

Elizabeth watched as the younger girl vanished and considered going after her only to have the desserts appear and a steaming dish of Cherry Crisp catch her attention. She continued to consider leaving and then, after changing her mind, settled back down to put a portion of the dessert onto her plate while continuing the conversation with her friends.

“What do you suppose she’s on about?” Lily asked Elizabeth.

“From the looks that I was getting from her, probably me.”

“Don’t let it bother you, Elizabeth.”

“Who’s bothered, not me, especially with Cherry Crisp in my plate.”

“Albus always used to talk about the private joke that you two had going on.”

“He did?”

“Yeah, you’re all that he wanted to talk about over break.”

Elizabeth blushed and then turned her attention back to the dessert before her while she thought about the possibilities. There was no doubt that Meredith was who she appeared to be, Lily, her brothers and her cousins had all known Meredith since birth. The trouble lay somewhere else in this room and she knew that it had to be one of the first years because her uneasy feeling hadn’t been present until the first day of this term.

The dishes filled with food finally disappeared and shortly after that the students began to rise to leave the chamber for their Houses. Patricia watched as Elizabeth vanished with her friends on the long climb back to Gryffindor House and wished that she could strike now, but there were too many witnesses present. The time would have to be later, when it was just the two of them.

Tiger raced into the common room as his owner appeared and leapt up onto her lap as she sat down on the couch. She reached into her pocket and slipped the napkin wrapped chicken out to lay it onto the plate that had appeared on the mantle. The cat jumped down to begin eating while his owner considered the potion that she was about to attempt, once all of the components were added it had to brew for almost a month until it reached a certain color. Then, once it smelled like lavender, it had to be allowed to cool for exactly three days before it was safe to use. It would solidify and then could be cut into small pieces to be ingested. She grimaced at the thought of that part and hoped that there would be no trace of the flavor of Pain-B-Gone remaining once the potion was prepared.

She and her friends sat and talked while she thought about the work ahead of her. She would retreat into the box to do what she needed to and that meant that she had to do it on a day when there were no classes.

 _‘This weekend,'_  she thought, _‘I can do it this weekend. There is plenty of space in the Room of Requirement and I can hide the box there when I’m not using it.’_

The group finally walked up the stairs to the dorm and finally settled down for the night while, deep in the darkest recesses of the castle, Patricia spoke with her accomplice.

“We have to strike soon!”

“I know,” she answered, “but she is always surrounded by her friends.”

“When the time is right you must destroy her or our plans shall fail. One of our spies in the village has sent word that she visited the apothecary there and purchased some rather unusual potion ingredients. It is our fear that they have determined that we have infiltrated the castle and are making preparations for a response to us.”

“And what are you going to be doing while I strike at Blackwell?”

“I shall be ensuring that no one interferes with you,” he answered.

“Then, as usual, it is I that take the risks while you remain safely in the shadows, how typical!”

“I shall be far from the shadows. I shall be preparing to strike at McGonagall and Leeds. They will undoubtedly attempt to interfere and I shall cut them both down. Then we can deal with Potter when he arrives and destroy any Potter or Weasley spawn that gets in our way. But Blackwell must die first, she is too opposed to our cause for us to even consider the possibility that she shall come to our side.”

“Is there no way that we can keep her alive for a short time? I truly want to see her writhe on the ground while I use the Cruciatus. It would be even more fun to use the Imperius Curse and have her destroy Potter and the others. Then she could rot in Azkaban as they intended for us to do.”

“Time is our enemy! She is close to determining what is happening and once she does our plans will fail. You must move up your timeline, it is imperative that she either dies soon or is under our control.”

“Either way, it will happen soon.”

“Good, the Dark Lord grows impatient and he does not tolerate failure.”

“I understand.”

The pair separated and then made their way back to the respective Houses that they were part of unaware that they had been overheard. Meredith Weasley emerged from the darkened corner of the unused classroom that she had sat in. She hadn’t recognized either voice, but the fact that they wanted Elizabeth Blackwell dead suited her just fine. It also didn’t bother her that they intended to kill her cousins and some professors but she intensely hoped that she wouldn’t be included in the dead.

“No one says that I have to warn them,” she said to herself as she picked her way back through the darkness, “but I certainly don’t want to be included in their fall. Maybe it’s time that I find out who these people are and be ready to offer my services should they need some help. It would certainly be interesting to hear Blackwell pleading for mercy while she grovels before them just before the end.”

She reentered the castle just as a voice spoke to her in a chilling fashion immediately before the curse hit her from behind and hurled her against a wall. The small girl collapsed to the floor and her attacker stepped out of the shadows to stand over her while she lay silently.

“It’s not nice to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations, Meredith Weasley, just how much do you know and whatever am I to do with you? Your kind is always skulking around in the shadows like rats, and rats must be killed. But I cannot kill you, no, that would bring too much attention to our plans. What I can do to you is Obliviate your memory of the conversation that you overheard and what is happening now, after that I think a wonderful Death’s Sleep Curse will suit you just fine. All that I have to do is make certain that it looks like you fell down the stairs and hit your head on that stone post at the bottom. No one will question that, Meredith. You might have been a useful tool had you not decided to do what you have.”

A wave of the wand and Meredith’s unconscious body flew towards the bottom of the stairs to roll down them and strike her head against the bottom post which supported the bannister. The shadowy figure stepped over the girl to look down at her with merciless eyes before the wand waved again and a terrible curse emanated from the lips of her assailant.

“Dead you are not, but so you’ll appear, Meredith Weasley. _Oculus Anguis!”_

A horrid green light not unlike that of the Killing Curse leapt from the wand to encase the girl before it faded and she lay on the stone as still as death itself. Only the fading sounds of the footsteps of her attacker disturbed the quiet. Meredith would lie silently on the floor until a Prefect came upon her while making her rounds and then be transported to the Hospital Wing to be examined.

Lily woke the next morning to one of her friends shaking her violently.

“Lily, you have to wake up, it’s important!”

She opened her eyes to see the seventh year Prefect standing over her.

“What?”

“You have to come with me to the Hospital! It’s really important.”

“What could possibly be so important this time of day?”

“It’s your cousin, Meredith, they found her at the bottom of the stairs. It looks like she must have fallen and hit her head. Lily, I think that she’s dead.”

Lily sprang from her bed and hurried to put on her robes before racing down the stairs and then hurrying for the Hospital Wing, tears running down her face. She arrived at her destination and flung the doors open to rush into the room where she found the parents of the girl standing beside a bed that was occupied by a very still form. She slowly approached the bed and looked down at her younger cousin.

Meredith laid silently on the bed, her eyes closed and her face pale as death except for a nasty gash on her temple and a bruise on her cheek. Lily looked at her for a long moment and then turned to the nurse with a stricken look. The nurse read her question without words being spoken and shook her head.

“She’s not dead, Lily, just deeply unconscious. The healers from St. Mungos will be here soon to take her to the hospital. Clearly, however, she struck her head on the stone post at the bottom of the stairs and has been put into a coma. I do have to admit that I am puzzled about her lack of response to the normal treatments for this type of injury.”

“She fell down the stairs? Where?”

“Near the entrance to the abandoned section of the school, I have always told the Ministry that that area needs to be sealed permanently, but my suggestions have been ignored. It should be easy to find, the Aurors are on the scene conducting an investigation and your father is among them.”

“But why would she have been there? Only professors and Prefects are authorized to go into that area.”

“Lily, you know that Meredith doesn’t like to follow the rules,” the father of the stricken girl answered. “If you tell her not to do something, she is more than likely going to do it anyway. She can’t help it, that’s just the way that she is.”

Lily nodded and then looked at the girl on the bed once more before leaving to walk back up to the shower area to prepare for the day. Elizabeth and Beatrice would eat their breakfast while wondering about their friend and what all of this meant. Beatrice may have been totally clueless about the true meaning of it all, but Elizabeth had a very good idea about what was happening.

_‘And so it begins. Again!’_


	16. The Ride Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ride home on the Hogwarts Express at holiday time is normally joyous, but will it be this time?

Elizabeth cast one last glance at the potion that now brewed in the cauldron that stood in her lab. She had added all of the components and now all that she could do was to wait. The fact that they were preparing to leave for the holiday break gave the potion a chance to do what it needed to and, once they returned to school, it would be nearly ready for the final step. She was glad that the box had this room to work in; if anything happened the box would prevent it from damaging anything else. The remaining ingredients were safely stored in another room in case of an accident and were ready should she need them.

The Pain-B-Gone had given her no end of trouble as it had almost refused to be added to the potion. The strange elixir had stubbornly held onto the walls of the vial that contained it and she had been forced to nearly drag it out of the container before placing it into the hot mixture in the cauldron. Only once it was in the cauldron did it finally acquiesce and behave properly, immediately infusing the potion with the bright purple color that the elixir was famous for.

She finally walked out of the lab and then across the next room to exit the box. It was carefully concealed in the Room of Requirement and she had to wriggle out from under a large stack of chairs to get free. Elizabeth glanced back at the box and was pleased to see it vanish, the invisibility spell that her grandfather had taught her working perfectly. No one would be able to find it and, once she stepped out of the Room of Requirement, it would be doubly safe. The room never appeared the same for two different people, unless it was willed by them to do so.

The teenager walked out of the room and down the corridor towards the stairs which led to Gryffindor Tower. Things had been very quiet of late, especially with Meredith Weasley confined to a bed at St. Mungos. Victoria had been excelling in her studies and the other first years were showing progress, even Patricia was starting to come around. The girl hadn’t been rebuffing offered help from Elizabeth and had even sought it out on occasion. Still, Elizabeth felt uneasy about something or somebody in the castle but couldn’t yet put her finger on who or what and she hoped that the potion that she was brewing could give her the answers that she needed.

When she arrived in her dorm she found the things that were going home with her for the break already packed and gone. Only the carrier that waited for Tiger still sat on her bed and its future occupant lay sleeping on the bed next to it. He opened one eye to look suspiciously at her, knowing that very soon she was going to place him in the carrier but also that it wouldn’t be for long. His owner would let him out of the carrier once they were on the train and in their compartment. Then he would have free run of the compartment until they arrived in London and plenty of friends to spoil him with their attention, and treats, during the trip.

“Come on, Tiger, I know that you won’t like it, but it’s just until we get into the compartment, I promise.”

The cat allowed himself to be placed into the carrier, but paused for a moment until she ran her fingers over his thick fur coat and then kissed him on top of the head. She closed the door behind him and then watched as the carrier and her pet vanished. Apprehension filled her, as it always did, but she knew that he would be quite safe and would be waiting for her to enter the compartment that they would occupy for the trip. She grabbed her bag and then walked down the stairs to find Lily and Beatrice waiting for her.

“Is Tiger on the train?” Lily asked.

“Yep, and he is probably already impatient. You know how much he hates that carrier and can’t wait to get out.”

The other girls laughed and the trio was soon walking down the stairs towards the Great Hall, grateful to be free of the confines of their robes. Their traveling clothing was much more comfortable and much less formal. The shouts of an argument in progress caught their attention as they reached the foyer and Lily surged forward to deal with the minor disagreement between the twin brothers. Her friends arrived on scene just as the ten rubies were retreating from the Gryffindor Hourglass and the numbers above it changed to reflect the withdrawal.

They watched as the boys retreated to a table where they sat glaring at each other and their friend returned to their side.

“Those two are going to drive me mental,” Lily announced as they turned and walked towards the courtyard. The older students were free to start the trip alone while the younger ones had to wait for one of the professors to accompany them. Woe unto the first or second year that didn’t wait for the staff member, for the loss of points for their House was extreme as was the wrath of older students that didn’t appreciate the punishment that had been meted out because of it.

The friends talked quietly as they walked and Elizabeth noticed the lack of mention of the potion that was brewing even as they prepared to leave for home. It was all safe enough, the box would prevent a problem and she had access to the box via Sebastian’s portrait, so she could visit any time that she wished. Lily looked at her friend and then broke the silence that she had been keeping.

“Are you and my brother going to spend the entire break snogging? Don’t deny it, Elizabeth, you two did a lot of it and everyone knew! You were horribly bad about keeping it all quiet.”

“I doubt that we will spend all of our time snogging, Lily. I just want to spend time with him. You know that I’ve missed Albus a lot and Rose too, it will just be nice to see them again. It will be the first year since I started at Hogwarts that we’re not at the castle for my birthday and I want to spend some of it with him.”

“I just can’t wait until you two are married and the babies start coming. I’m going to be a brilliant aunt and spoil them rotten.”

The girls laughed as they walked and then continued the conversation until they arrived in the village where the Hogwarts Express waited for the load of students that it would take back to London. They stepped aboard the train and hurried to the compartment where Tiger waited in his carrier. The cat rushed to the door as his owner closed her compartment door behind her and then reached down to release him. The freedom wasn’t long lived as the girl scooped him up to hold him in her arms and cuddle him.

“Just a train ride to London and then home, Tiger,” she said as she caressed her pet. “I’m sure that Chloe hasn’t forgotten what you like to eat and will get something for you as soon as she can.”

The cat lay on his back in her arms and purred softly while she ran her fingers over his fur. They were constant companions and he didn’t mind putting up with the indignity that she was heaping on him at the moment. She kissed him gently and then allowed him to roll over in her arms before leaping to the floor to collect attention from the other two girls in the compartment.

Patricia walked past the car that they were in and scowled as she saw the girl that was her target through the window. There never seemed to be a right time for the attack as there were always witnesses present. Sooner or later however, and regardless of the number of witnesses present, she was going to have to strike at the girl before turning her attention to the daughter of Harry Potter. The nephew of the Boy Who Lived could survive for a while, but Harry Potter’s children needed to die. Once that messy business had been accomplished and Harry Potter was busy grieving for his children his wife would have to be dispatched. She intended to make Potter and his two friends from Hogwarts suffer before killing them. There was no better way to weaken a parent than for them to have to bury their children.

She watched the girls for a moment and then walked briskly to the car that was reserved for her House. Nearly cringing at having to get on that car, instead of the more comfortable Slytherin one, she walked along the companionway until she found a vacant seat and settled in. Her associate was already on his car and, although they were not together, both were continuing to plot the destruction of Elizabeth and everyone that she loved.

_‘You should have joined forces with us, Elizabeth Blackwell, you, your family and your friends would have been able to live longer. I might even kill your cat while you watch and plead for his life! I might even make you do it while telling you that I’ll let your miserable parents and grandparents live if you do. Which would you choose, Elizabeth, your parents and grandparents or that miserable cat? Of course, for me the answer is easy, none of you will live and you will die last after watching me use the Killing Curse on every one of them.’_

The train finally pulled away from the platform and Elizabeth looked out through the window to wave goodbye to Professor McGonagall. She always missed the professor terribly while away from the school and couldn’t wait to see her again when classes resumed. Sooner or later, however, she knew that the professor would no longer be at the school and that the parting was coming soon when she herself finished at Hogwarts at the end of the next term. Then she, like Albus and Rose, would leave the ancient castle to make her way into their world and the adventures and dangers that awaited her.

She looked down at the book that she had brought with her. Professor Dippet’s old textbook had provided a wealth of knowledge for her, especially his handwritten additions in the margins. But the most helpful part of it all was the fact that the long-dead wizard was able to communicate with her via the book, much like the portraits in the castle. Elizabeth opened the book again and looked at a page that she had marked for review. The transfiguration that the former Headmaster had penned in was intriguing to say the least and represented a great deal of help for her if done correctly, or a great deal of problems if it was not.

_‘What exactly does this do, Professor Dippet? I’ve asked you twice and both times you have avoided the conversation. Is it that devastating a transfiguration or a complete failure?’_

The trip, always a long one, soon lulled her to sleep and she was quickly joined by Tiger, who jumped up onto the seat next to her to doze. Lily walked by the compartment and smiled as she saw her friend inside the space. Elizabeth always looked so tired these days and Lily was glad to see her able to sleep. Obviously the witch with the trolley had already been by because several packages lay on the seat next to the sleeping witch.

Lily envied her friend in one way that Elizabeth hadn’t had to earn. To discover that you had a younger sister would be wonderful, especially when you were the only girl with older brothers. Lily’s mother had told her about being in the same situation and the girl was glad that she didn’t have as many brothers as her mother had grown up with. Elizabeth and Rose were wonderful stand-ins for female siblings and Beatrice was almost as good, any of them were always willing to listen when she needed to talk. This had been exceptionally useful considering the fact that Lily was seeing a boy from Gryffindor and was quite taken with him.

The girl just wasn’t certain how to tell her parents that she had fallen in love with the young man and almost feared their reaction. It hadn’t been so bad when her brothers had fallen in love, their parents had welcomed the news, but somehow she knew that it would be different when she told them. She was the youngest of their children and the only girl and her father still acted as though she needed to be defended at all times, despite her objections.

Elizabeth had known what to say, she’d been through it when her father had found out about Albus. But it wasn’t quite the same. Elizabeth’s father hadn’t liked anything about Harry Potter, and definitely hadn’t wanted his daughter seeing the son of the Boy Who Lived. Now the pair was inseparable and her father had accepted the fact that one day Albus would be his son-in-law as well as the father of his grandchildren.

The trip through the train was short and she soon walked back to the car reserved for the Prefects. Her feet hurt and she was grateful that there had been nothing going on which had demanded her intervention. Even the students in the Slytherin car had been civil and this made her wonder what was going on. Had someone slipped the lot of them a dose of Pain-B-Gone? She settled into her seat and soon was fast asleep while the next Prefect took a turn at the rounds.

Elizabeth was dreaming and she didn’t like it one bit. In it a witch and wizard that she didn’t recognize were holding dominion in the Great Hall of Hogwarts while students and staff cowered before them. She watched as they paced back and forth, doling out pain to whomever they wanted to and seeming to enjoy it. Several still figures lay on the stone floor of the chamber and some were recognizable, Lily and Beatrice among them. Elizabeth wasn’t certain if they were alive or dead and could only cower as the pair of feral persons advanced on her with their wands drawn.

“Elizabeth, you were always so powerful, you were always such a force for good and now look at you, cowering before me like the wretch that you are. Rise and impress me, Elizabeth Blackwell, rise and take the wand that you used for good. Use that wand to strike our enemy down, Elizabeth Blackwell, use that wand to kill Professor Minerva McGonagall or watch me kill your friends. Either way, someone that you care about is going to die!”

The wand lay on the floor where it had been thrown at her feet and she looked down at it while she weighed her chances. Could she get the wand and use it against them or would she be cut down in the attempt? She had no doubt that she was going to die, that much was certain, she could not be let live. Somehow she had invited this, somehow she had come to the notice of this dark witch and wizard, and now pain and death was going to be visited on those that she loved.

“Which shall it be, Elizabeth? Oh, I know what you’re undoubtedly thinking; can I draw my wand and strike before they cut me to pieces? The answer is no, Elizabeth, you may manage to strike but one of us shall survive to kill these other helpless fools and you as well. Perhaps the choice is too hard for you; perhaps you would rather kill this filthy beast! Go ahead, put Tiger out of his misery!”

Elizabeth gasped as she saw her companion cowering at the back of his carrier while the witch held the container up and cackled her glee.

“Chose, Elizabeth, or they all die!”

Elizabeth, knowing that the attempt would fail, simply sank to her knees and raised her chin in sacrifice. Better to offer her throat than to let others die for her.

“Let them go, do what you want with me, but let them go.”

“So noble, Elizabeth, just like when you let Koeppler take you instead of them, but this time there will be no compromise. You shall kill McGonagall or this beast or watch all of them die. Pick up your wand and make your choice or they all burn!”

Elizabeth looked at the wand again and then up at the witch who still held the cage aloft while she smiled mockingly down at the younger witch kneeling before her. The wand on the floor was so close, she could almost touch it and yet she knew that nothing that she did would please them. All were going to die anyway, including her.

“NO! I WON’T DO IT!”

The screamed refusal echoed through the Great Hall and the witch standing over her with the carrier in hand smiled before speaking.

“I knew that you were going to say that, Elizabeth. I knew it and I was looking forward to it. Who shall I kill first, your friends, Professor McGonagall or your cat? They’re all going to die right in front of you before I kill you in the most painful way possible.”

“Bitch!” Elizabeth screamed as she dove for her wand and raised it to strike just as the baleful green light filled the carrier and she watched it fall to the floor containing a limp heap that had only a moment before been a living Tiger. She used the wand to lash out as she screamed again.

_“Reducto!”_

The other occupants of the car were startled when the entire window of the compartment that she occupied exploded outward as the curse hit it. The blast blew a section of the outer skin of the car away and the cold air outside flooded in to chill the interior of the space. Fearing for their lives, afraid that the girl had finally lost her grip on reality, several Prefects slowly approached the compartment to find Elizabeth holding on tightly to her pet while the wand lay quietly on the floor.

_“Reparo!”_

The train car reassembled itself in answer to the spell cast by a seventh year Prefect and the Head Girl stepped into the compartment to kneel beside the sobbing girl that cowered on the floor. The cat finally managed to free himself and returned to his carrier while the wand was retrieved from the floor.

“Elizabeth, are you okay?”

“Yes,” the girl answered with a trembling voice as she looked with tear filled eyes at her pet. “It was all so real, the Great Hall, everyone in it and my best friend dying.”

“The nurse is on her way, Elizabeth, can I just have you lie down on the seat and relax? You really look like you need it.”

“Can Tiger stay with me?” Elizabeth whimpered.

“I would never even consider trying to take him from you,” the girl said as she helped her stricken friend back to the seat while the other Prefects parted to allow the nurse to enter the compartment. The Head Girl rose and looked at the nurse before speaking.

“It had to have been an extremely troubling nightmare. I had just walked past the compartment and she was asleep, then we heard her screaming and the side of the car was blown out.”

The nurse looked at the girl who lay on the seat with her face pale while she clung to the cat that she had retrieved from his carrier.

“I’ll deal with this. You just go on back to your own activities. Is that her wand?”

“Yes,” the young witch responded as she handed the wand over, “I don’t think that she intended to harm anyone, the nightmare must have been pretty bad.”

“Move on along, let me tend to her.”

The nurse watched as the seventh year girl walked away and then entered the compartment to look down at her patient. Elizabeth looked up at the older witch as the woman sat down on the seat across from her.

“I take it that you had a very bad dream, Elizabeth.”

The girl nodded her head quickly without speaking while the woman talking to her reached into the bag that she carried. Elizabeth watched as the hand re-emerged clutching a small vial filled with emerald green liquid.

“This will drive away the memories of the nightmare, Elizabeth,” she said as she unstopped the bottle and leaned forward to hand it to the girl.  But to her surprise the girl refused the bottle and instead posed a question.

“Can’t you just help me sleep and block my dreams?”

“You want to remember what happened?”

“Please.”

The nurse looked at her patient with confusion before speaking again.

“Very well, if you insist, but I really think that you would prefer this,” she said as she held up the vial again.

“No, just help me sleep with no dreams.”

“Very well,” the nurse answered as she replaced the stopper in the vial and placed the item back into her bag. A moment later a wave of her wand sent the girl back to sleep with the second part of the incantation blocking dreams from entering her mind. The older woman rose after laying the wand of the girl on the cat’s carrier and left the compartment. The Head Girl and Lily met her as she turned to close the door behind her.

“Is she okay?”

“She’ll sleep peacefully until we arrive in London.”

“Can I stay with her?” Lily asked the Head Girl.

“Yeah, I’ll take your next rounds. Keep an eye on her, okay?”

“That’s what I plan to do.”

Lily slipped into the compartment through the still open door and closed it behind her while the nurse and the Head Girl walked on down the compartment. She sat down on the seat that the nurse had vacated while she watched Elizabeth sleep.

‘What happened to you, Elizabeth? What did you dream about?’

Her companions in the compartment asleep, Patricia sat in her own seat while her mind replayed what had happened in the car with Elizabeth Blackwell. The delicious part was the fact that everything had happened without her even having to leave her seat; the mind could be a terrible weapon if one knew how to use it as such.

_‘Did you enjoy our little fantasy, Elizabeth? What would you think if you knew that sooner or later that little scenario is going to anything but fantasy? I assure you that it is going to be very real one day and I shall enjoy every moment of it. But the best part shall be when I kill you as slowly and as painfully as is possible.’_

Elizabeth lay peacefully on the seat, not as asleep as she appeared. Her mind was working furiously as she considered what had occurred. The simple sleep charm that the nurse had employed had been easy to thwart and she had blocked her mind from the second part of the incantation. She needed all of her faculties to play through the situation. Someone on the train had attacked her, quite viciously in fact, and now Elizabeth was quite certain that what she had suspected was true. Now that she was forewarned about the attacks through Legilimency she could be ready to defend against them and then send a few back of her own. After that all that she needed was for the potion to be ready and then all would be revealed to her.

_‘Once I determine who you are, I will enjoy giving you a taste of what you gave me! You’re not going to like it any more than I did and I intend to make it go on a lot longer than you did. I managed to beat Koeppler and he was far stronger and more experienced than you can possibly be, so whoever you are you had better be ready for some major difficulties. All of the Pain-B-Gone in the world won’t solve your headaches when I get done!’_

Only when she finished erecting her defenses did Elizabeth allow her mind to accept sleep and she was able to do so without worry about terrifying dreams. Patricia also managed to get some sleep, after taking a stealthy dose of the potion that she relied upon to maintain her appearance. The girl was going to be a formidable opponent and she was going to enjoy the challenge. Then perhaps, once the girl was weakened sufficiently, her cohort would see fit to join in on the fun. It wouldn’t do to reveal the fact that there was more than one servant of darkness present at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry until the time was right.

While Elizabeth and Patricia slept, others on the train were also planning. Victoria was thinking with relish about getting to know more about her sister over the break as the girls had planned a day roaming Diagon Alley. The younger girl was more than pleased about the fact that she had a sister to talk to and that Elizabeth had not attempted to brush her aside. Nothing would have hurt her more because she didn’t take rejection well and had come to have warm feelings towards the older girl. She settled back in her seat to close her eyes and then drift off to sleep for the remainder of the trip.

Lily sat quietly in the compartment with her friend while Elizabeth slept. Her friend had been right, something bad was going to happen, and Lily wondered just how bad it was going to get. The situation with Koeppler had been bad enough and he had been dead, now they were dealing with unknown forces that obviously meant harm. She wondered if the resourcefulness and determination that Elizabeth had shown in the past was going to be enough to save her from whatever was going on. Tiger snuggled against his owner and Lily smiled at the closeness that the cat showed Elizabeth. Her own eyes were getting heavy and, as she drifted off to sleep, she hoped that the potion and whatever else her friend had planned were going to work out.

Hours later the crimson train pulled into King’s Cross Station and students hurried to leave the train to reunite with their parents. Elizabeth, refreshed after her nap, rose to quickly gather Tiger and place him in his carrier before joining the crowd in disembarking. She had seen her family and wanted nothing more than their company. She didn’t see Victoria in the swarm, but knew that the younger girl would meet her one day in Diagon Alley where they could get to know each other more closely. The arms of her family were soon around the girl and she was able to relax at last. She was protected now.

Patricia watched from a distance and scowled as she saw Artemis Trane.

_‘Traitor! You should have died that day at Hogwarts! I should have killed you myself and didn’t get the chance to do so. Killing you will be so much sweeter after you watch me put your precious granddaughter to death in front of you. You die last, Artemis Trane, while you stand surrounded by the dead bodies of everyone that you love!’_

She could only watch as the family walked away to step into the tiny room where the portkeys were kept. They would not return until it was time for the girl to return to school.

“I can wait, I have all the time that I need, then I shall do what the Dark Lord has commanded. I shall kill each and every one of you.”

No one in the crowd, save her accomplice, paid attention to the fact that the girl simply vanished with a POP. A moment later her cohort copied her example.


	17. Diagon Alley Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A holiday visit to Diagon Alley turns dangerous.

Elizabeth was happier than she had been all term as she walked hand in hand with Albus down Diagon Alley. She had hardly gotten home from King’s Cross when she asked if she could go to meet him and her parents had consented, something that she knew would never have occurred only a few short years before. Her father had even handed her a few Galleons for the day and she had thrown her arms around his neck to shower him with kisses while he enjoyed the closeness with the young woman that he called his daughter.

The girl looked up at the young wizard next to her and he returned the gaze with a smile.

“Do you know how much I have missed you?” he asked.

“Probably as much as I have missed you, Albus, because I think about you every time I sit down in the Great Hall or on the couch in front of the mantle. I even think about you when I’m eating Cherry Crisp at meal time,” she said mischievously.

“You really think about me that much,” he responded.

“Well,” she answered with a laugh, “not so much about you as about how much more dessert I get with you not around.”

He stood stunned until she turned to him, put her arms around his neck and then kissed him deeply. The warmth of her body against his told him that she was devoted to him and that they had a future together. Elizabeth felt him press his lips against hers as he returned the kiss and then they continued their walk down the alley, oblivious to everyone else there. They found themselves in front of a familiar building and he looked down at the girl next to him.

“Want to go in here for a while?

Elizabeth looked up at the sign above the door of the establishment and then back at her fiance` before speaking.

“In there? Have you gone mental, Albus Potter? There is snow on the ground and you want to go into Florean Fortesue’s Ice Cream Parlour.”

“Why not?”

Elizabeth looked up into the eyes of the boy and fell in love all over again at the site of the merriment that was dancing in them. She smiled back at him and took his hand as he opened the door to the business and they stepped inside to find a table. Instantly a small elf appeared next to the table to hand them a menu before vanishing with a POP to serve another table while they made their decision.

“One of the Muggle-born students said that there is something called a Banana Split in the ice cream shops in their world and I’ve always wanted to try one,” Elizabeth remarked as she looked at the selections. “I don’t see it on here, but surely they could make one for me.”

“Now who’s wanting ice cream,” Albus answered, causing the girl to look up at him and fix him with a faux stern glare before she started laughing with him.

The elf returned a moment later and Albus swiftly ordered his favorite before the elf turned to Elizabeth.

“What can I get for you?”

“The Muggles have something called a Banana Split; can you make one for me?”

“We do that all the time, everyone seems to like them so they’re thinking about putting it on the menu.”

Albus looked down at the hand of the girl which was touching his own. The ring that he had placed on her finger told him that she had committed herself to him for life and she didn’t appear to be wavering. Things had been difficult for him as many young witches had sought his attention after he had finished at Hogwarts, some had even been tempting to him, but the promise that he had made to Elizabeth was holding firm and he didn’t intend to break it.

The ice cream appeared in front of them an instant later and he looked at the heaping bowl in front of the girl. She was looking down at it with wide eyes and then up at him.

“I didn’t think that it would be so big,” she whispered. “There has to be at least five bananas and all of this ice cream in this bowl. You’re probably going to end up helping me eat some of this.”

“Yeah” he answered after finishing his examination of her treat, “at least it’s made of ice cream that won’t melt until it’s in your stomach. It won’t even melt on a hot day. That bowl is like the ones that they use at Hogwarts for soup for the table.”

“I guess that I asked for it, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you did.”

They talked quietly while they ate and laughed occasionally at something that the other said while other customers entered and left the building. The ice cream that they ordered was soon nearly gone and, per their predictions, Albus ended up helping the girl eat what she had ordered. When they finally rose to leave there was still ice cream and one of the bananas in the bowl, but both had had their fill. As they walked out of the building, the elf looked at the unemptied bowl and then vanished back to the kitchen to speak to the owner.

“I guess that six bananas are still too many for a Banana Split, Boss. Maybe you better drop it to five next time.”

“I suppose, I wonder how the Muggles do so well with only one banana per order?”

The elf shrugged her shoulders and then vanished to deal with the next customers that walked into the shop.

Elizabeth clutched the hand of the boy as they continued on their way and soon found that she was being steered toward the building that housed Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. The girl had rarely entered the shop and soon found herself surrounded by items of incredible variety. Several children that she recognized as students from Hogwarts stared at her in horror as she noticed their bags full of Puking Pastilles and Skiving Snackboxes.

“Hi Miss Blackwell,” one child managed to say as she noticed where the eyes of the teaching assistant had been drawn.

“I sincerely hope that the class is not struck by a rash of illness,” she answered, “if it is I shall have no choice but to recommend doses of Pain-B-Gone for any student that appears to be afflicted.”

She turned and walked away being quite aware of the rush to return the items to the shelves from where they had come. There was also an abrupt exit from the establishment by several students after she had turned her back. George and Ron Weasley watched the departure of the children with mournful faces which quickly changed to something more amiable as the young couple approached.

“You know, Ron, I really believe that we need to ban all professors and teaching assistants from our establishment. That little incident cost us several Galleons.”

“Uncle George,” Albus broke in, “Elizabeth never said that they couldn’t buy the items, they made that decision on their own.”

“Who wouldn’t,” Ron piped up, “after a teaching assistant suggested doses of Pain-B-Gone?”

The four of them all shuddered at the mention of the remedy and then laughter broke out as Elizabeth stepped forward to hug the father of one of her best friends as well as Rose’s uncle.

“How have you both been? With only Lily and Hugo to give me news I don’t hear as much as I used to,” the girl asked.

“Rose has been busy, she has never forgotten about her plans to follow her aunt’s footsteps and play Quidditch professionally. She wants to try out for the Holyhead Harpies and that worries me,” Ron answered.

“Rose is tough, why are you worried about her? She can handle herself!”

“It’s not her that I’m worried about,” Ron replied to Elizabeth, “it’s the injuries to the players on the other teams that I’m worried about. Her mother and I did too good a job in making certain that she could stand up for herself. I’m worried that those other players don’t know what they’re in for.”

The group laughed again and it gave Albus’ uncles a chance to take a better look at the witch that their nephew intended to marry. Elizabeth was a lot like Rose, certain of herself and not afraid to go after what she wanted. The determination in her eyes told them that she could be a force to be reckoned with and both looked forward to her joining the family. She had much to bring to the table.

“Speaking of Weasley relatives,” Ron suddenly said, “where is your sister, Albus? I haven’t seen Lily and she never misses a chance to give me a thrashing at Wizard’s Chess.”

“Oh,” Elizabeth interrupted, “she mentioned to me the plans that she has for that. I think that you’re in real trouble when she finds you and a chess board is present.”

Ron swallowed hard as the other three laughed once again. While they talked Elizabeth took the opportunity to glance around the shop. There were a number of intriguing items, not the least of which were the very items that she had dissuaded the students from buying. It might not be a bad idea to have a few of them, not that she intended to use them herself, but they might come in useful at some point in time.

“George, Ron, I feel so terribly about the children leaving without making a purchase that I think that I will buy what they didn’t.”

“Thinking of skiving class yourself, are you?” George said as a smile crossed his face.

“No, I just think that they might be useful at some point in time.”

“Sure, that’s what they all say, don’t they, Ron?”

“I think that I’ve heard that before, George.”

Elizabeth smiled at the gentle ribbing that she was getting but continued to proceed to place several of the items in the basket that she had picked up. She was starting to walk away when she noticed the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder _(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)_ and selected some of it for her basket. She didn’t know why she needed any of the things that she was buying, but somehow she knew that they might assist her at some point. She started to walk away from the display of powder and then turned back to place more in her basket.

“What do you need all of that for, Beth? Koeppler is gone and the Dark Lord has been in hiding for months,” Albus said as he moved to her side and used his pet name for her.

“I don’t know, Albus, I just feel like I need it.”

“I know all about your feelings, and I guess that they haven’t failed you yet.”

“Albus,” she said as she suddenly turned towards him with an intense look in her eyes, “something is very wrong at Hogwarts! I don’t know who it is, but someone there isn’t who they appear to be and I think that they could be dangerous. I think that you’re wrong about the Dark Lord being in hiding, I think some of his followers are inside the castle walls.”

“Then you need to tell my father, Beth. Don’t try to do this all by yourself. Koeppler was one thing, you had no choice that time, but this is a lot different. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.”

“Nothing is going to happen to me, Albus, I’m going to find out who they are and I’m going to end this once and for all.”

“No, Beth, you can’t.

“Albus,” she started while looking into his eyes, “where would our world be if your dad, aunt and uncle had sat back and done nothing about Voldemort and the Horcruxes? You, Lily and James likely wouldn’t exist because your father and maybe your mother would be dead and my grandfather would still be serving that putrid piece of filth. If I’m going to be a professor at Hogwarts someday, I need to be able to defend the school and the students.”

“But how are you going to know who you are fighting?”

“They’ve been making mistakes, Albus.”

“Mistakes?”

“One of them revealed herself to me when she invaded my mind. I know what she looks like but I just don’t know who she is. They’ve also been showing me things about my father, things that I know cannot be true. They’re getting careless and I intend to take advantage of it.”

“Please be careful, Beth.”

“That’s what I intend to do.”

“I love you, Beth.”

“And I love you, Albus, but I have to do this.”

The pair kissed again and while they did Elizabeth noticed an older witch who had stepped out of the shadows to watch them from across the street. The woman ducked back into the darkness as soon as she realized that she had been seen. Elizabeth gasped and pulled away from the boy as she recognized the woman.

“That’s her! That’s the witch that I saw in my vision when they probed my mind,” she fairly shouted as she rushed to the door and then across the street, drawing her wand as she went. Shoppers scattered as they saw the young witch charge towards an alley with her wand at the ready and determination clear on her face.

The witch that she had seen darted back into the shadows as Elizabeth emerged from the shop and ran towards her, clearly with a mission in mind and a wand in her hand. Thoughts of fighting it out now crossed her mind, but there were too many witnesses and any of them could be Aurors. A bolt from the wand of the younger woman slammed into the wall beside her quarry, showering the woman with fragments of brick and mortar while the shoppers around Elizabeth reacted with screams of surprise and terror.

Another curse leapt from the wand of the girl and impacted with another wall causing an eruption of aged brick. Her opponent continued her flight and Elizabeth knew that sooner or later the other woman would either fight or disapparate from the scene. Personally, Elizabeth was looking forward to a duel with this witch and hoped for the latter. It was not to happen as the witch finally managed to get out of sight and then vanished with a POP. Elizabeth entered the area that the other witch had been in and growled with disappointment as she realized that there would be no duel today. She turned and walked back through the battered alley towards the shop that she had left, casually waving her wand behind her. The damaged bricks and mortar reassembled themselves and soon there was no sign that anything had occurred.

A group of Aurors met her at the entrance to the alley, prepared to arrest a dark witch and being disappointed when they encountered no such thing.

“Miss Blackwell, they told us that you were in pursuit,” the Auror in charge exclaimed. “Do you have a prisoner?”

“No, she managed to get away from me.”

“Next time, please leave the law enforcement to us. I would hate to have to arrest you if someone innocent got hurt or worse.”

Elizabeth nodded as the group of Aurors began to brush past her and then returned to the shop to find her boyfriend and his uncles watching her with concern.

“You really are a fireball, aren’t you?” George asked.

“Let’s just say that I don’t like to be messed with.”

Elizabeth paid for the items that she had selected and was about to leave when she spotted something unusual, which wasn’t hard in this particular shop. A mirror leaned against the wall and, as she stepped in front of it an image of her appeared across the shop. She looked at the mirror with curiosity and then at the image that it had created.

“It’s broken, Elizabeth, it’s not supposed to do that,” George said mournfully.

“I think that it’s brilliant and I want it.”

“But it’s broken.”

“I don’t care, I want it.”

“Ten Sickles and its yours.”

The girl reached into her bag and withdrew the coins before picking up the mirror and slipping it into her bag.

“Blimey,” Ron said, “your bag is just like Hermione’s. What all do you have in there?”

Elizabeth put on a hurt expression on her face and then answered her boyfriend’s uncle.

“You never ask a lady that! That’s right up there with asking her age.”

George and Albus laughed at Ron and then Elizabeth hugged both of Albus’ uncles before the young couple left the shop. They were supposed to meet with their parents for dinner and both knew that it wouldn’t do to be late.

They were watched as they walked down the busy street. She glared out through a window at the young witch who had nearly brought her low. The girl was formidable and had surprised her with a lack of apprehension about what she was doing. Most students, even sixth and seventh years, wouldn’t even consider tackling someone with many more years of experience than they had. But Elizabeth Blackwell had not reacted that way and that made her a definite threat to be contended with.

“She worries you, doesn’t she?”

She whirled at the sound of the voice to see her accomplice standing behind her.

“Are you mad? We cannot be seen together or all will be lost.”

“Who is going to see us? No one even knows that we are here and, even if they did, who would be looking for us. Remember, we died at the battle at Hogwarts, and are the last people that anyone would be suspecting.”

“The girl is suspicious! I believe that she questions my presence.”

“You have not helped things by your attitude towards her in class and around the school. You have brought attention to yourself by your belligerent manner. The plan was to blend into the first years, not to set you apart from them.”

She stood silently while he spoke for she knew that he was correct. She had made serious mistakes, mistakes that had put their mission into jeopardy. Then she finally spoke words that he had not expected.

“I believe that she suspects that I am not acting alone. I believe that she suspects that there is another who is not as they appear to be. I do not believe that our disguises shall protect us for much longer. The girl is much more intelligent than we gave her credit for.”

“Then we may need to move forward more quickly than we had planned. Do you still believe that we can bring her over to our side?”

“No, I do not.”

“Then she must be destroyed along with all others who oppose us.”

“I have seen the traitor, I have seen Artemis Trane.”

“Then we destroy him at the same time that we destroy her. We make him watch while we kill his family and friends. Then we kill him in the most painful way possible.”

“Do what you wish to him, brother, I shall not interfere but Elizabeth Blackwell is mine to destroy.”

“I shall be more than happy to stand aside and watch you kill her after making her beg for mercy.”

“There are those others at the castle that also suspect deceit. I have seen it in the eyes of many.”

“Professor Grims?”

“Yes, I believe that he suspects that something is amiss and he shall not be easily defeated.”

“I have felt the same with Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Leeds. This may not have been as good a plan as we assumed that it was. If too many become suspicious it will force our hand and put our plot in jeopardy.

She looked her male counterpart with shocked eyes and then turned to look back out through the window in the direction that Elizabeth and Albus had vanished. Unconsciously she reached down to hold her side; a piece of brick that had been blasted from a wall had struck her there and was causing a fair amount of pain. Her companion glanced down at her hand and frowned.

“You are injured?”

“She was very close to destroying me. Had I not disapparated you likely would be in this room alone. As it is, it is a good thing that the school has gone into holiday break; it will give this bit of inconvenience time to heal.”

“This worries me.”

“It is nothing! I am not some first year that would die from an injury such as this. Once it is healed I shall use it as a reminder to be cautious around her.”

“Do you need more assistance in handling her?”

“No, I do not! Elizabeth Blackwell is a student. I do not deny that she has talent and is formidable in duel, but she lacks experience and is not cautious. It is these qualities that I shall use against her. She merely caught me by surprise after I made a mistake.”

“You made a mistake? You, the one that was always prepared for any contingency, made a mistake?”

“I probed her mind while on the train. She obviously remembered much more about it than she should have. The girl is a Legilimens, I am certain of it, and that means that we need to be cautious around her.”

The wizard looked at his companion, suddenly both angry and concerned about the turn of events. If the girl had learned about a potential plot she would be on her guard and that put their plans in jeopardy. She would no doubt inform the office of Harry Potter about her suspicions and that would mean that the Aurors would get involved. He looked at the witch once again before speaking.

“Be cautious, sister, we are at a precipice and in danger of tumbling off of it. We cannot afford any more mistakes and the probes of her mind must be careful for she could use them against us.”

He vanished with a POP, leaving the witch to glare out through the window of the vacant room in the direction that Elizabeth and Albus had gone.

‘Oh, you won this time, Elizabeth Blackwell, but the next time we duel you shall learn the true meaning of pain.’

Elizabeth and Albus finally met up with Lily and her boyfriend (something that Albus didn’t like) and the group spent the rest of the day talking and laughing before returning to their homes. Elizabeth knew that it was only a few days until her birthday, her seventeenth birthday, and then she would be able to apparate without being worried that the Ministry would punish her. She soon would not be bound by the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, but would be held much more accountable for any magical misdeed as an adult. Once she was seventeen the possibility of being sent to Azkaban was an option if she committed a crime.

She flopped back onto her bed to grab a book that lay there. The textbook that had once belonged to Professor Dippet had come home with her and she hurried to look at one of the notes that he had written in the margins. The professor had written a note above the other words in large, bold letters and she knew that they meant that the incantation below them was extremely dangerous. She read the words again to herself before closing the book.

USE THIS ONLY IF YOU ARE IN DIRE PERIL AND HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE FOR THE EFFECTS OF THIS CHARM ARE IRREVERSIBLE!

The girl laid the book back down onto the bed and stepped out into the corridor just as Chloe appeared before her.

“Miss Elizabeth, Chloe is here to tell you that dinner is ready.”

“I could smell it and was already on the way down.”

Before Elizabeth could react, the elf reached forward and gripped her dress before they both vanished with a POP to reappear in the dining room where the other members of the family had already gathered. Victoria Blackwell smiled as her daughter appeared and then sat down at the table to join her parents and grandparents.

“Did you and Albus have a good day in Diagon Alley, Elizabeth?”

“It was wonderful, cold but wonderful.”

“Did anything interesting happen there today?”

“We ate a banana split in the ice cream shop but other than that nothing out of the ordinary, Dad.”

John Blackwell looked at his daughter and instantly Elizabeth knew that they had been informed about the incident. She swallowed hard and then spoke again.

“There was the slight matter of a duel that I had with another witch, but no one got hurt that I know of.”

“The Office of the Aurors didn’t think that it was so slight, Elizabeth. They informed us this afternoon and told us to warn you against anything else like this. If it continues, you’ll be called before the Wizengamot again and possibly face expulsion from Hogwarts.”

The girl hung her head before nodding and then straightened back up as the meal appeared before them. Victoria knew that something was very wrong, her daughter’s eyes told her so, and she reached forward to take the hand of the girl.

“What’s wrong, Elizabeth, did you have a fight with Albus?”

“No, Mom, Albus and I love each other. We disagree sometimes, but we never fight. No, I just was thinking about something that I learned not long ago, something that can never be changed.”

“Can we help?”

“No, it can’t be helped. Someone died and many more people might if things aren’t stopped.”

“Can you tell me who died?”

Elizabeth shook her head at her father’s question and he looked at his wife with concern in his eyes.

“Elizabeth, we can’t help if you won’t let us,” Artemis Trane said quietly.

The girl looked around the table and then finally spoke with a sure and firm tone.

“Things are going to get very bad. I think that the followers of Voldemort have found a new leader and that they are going to come back, maybe for everyone here. The witch that I dueled with was one that I saw in a vision while on the Hogwarts Express. They made the mistake of probing my mind. Next time they do it I’ll be ready and I’ll give them a surprise visit of my own.

Victoria Blackwell was becoming more and more concerned as her child spoke and finally asked Elizabeth the question that her husband had.

“Elizabeth, now will you tell us who died and has you so upset?”

Elizabeth looked at her parents and grandparents before answering with words that chilled them all.

“Marcus Beales-Armstrong, my natural father.”


	18. The Sleep of Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas isn't always so merry.

Elizabeth woke on the morning of her birthday and sat up in her bed to find Tiger sleeping next to her as normal. She reached for him and ran her fingers over his fur which caused him to stretch and open his eyes.

“Good morning, Tiger, are you ready for the day?”

The words spoken by his young mistress meant nothing to the cat although his sensitive nose caught the smell of breakfast being prepared. He rose and, after stretching, hurried to the partly opened door and then out into the hallway to rush down to the dining room.

Elizabeth hurried to change and then followed her pet down to the room where the meal would be served. She had enjoyed a peaceful night despite the rather frightening day before. Now she wanted nothing more than to enjoy her birthday with her family and later her friends.

Victoria looked up as her daughter walked into the room and stepped forward to hug the teen before playfully ruffling her hair.

“Happy Birthday, Elizabeth, it’s hard to believe that my baby is seventeen today.”

“It’s great, isn’t it,” the girl answered.

The sound of someone else entering the room alerted the girl and she turned in time to see her father sneaking up on her. His face fell when he realized that she had heard his approach.

“Daddy!”

He stepped forward to hug the girl and she snuggled against him just as he poked her in the ribs gently. She giggled and tried to pull free but was held tightly as her parent enjoyed the closeness with her. John kissed her gently on the forehead and then also ruffled her hair before releasing her.

“How are you today?”

“I’m fine, just really glad to be home. It’s a lot less dangerous than the alley was yesterday.”

Her grandparents entered the room just as the breakfast appeared on the table and, after hugging their grandchild, sat down at their normal places. Elizabeth and her parents sat down at theirs, painfully aware of the empty space at it where Anne should have been. The young witch had again refused to help her sibling celebrate her birthday and instead had stayed in the flat that she maintained in Manchester, where she was apprenticed to a witch who specialized in potions. Anne had also refused to even consider joining them for Christmas and had informed them that she would not change her mind as long as her mother and sister were present.

Elizabeth watched with sparkling eyes as her favorite breakfast appeared before her and she hurried to fill her plate while Tiger enjoyed his own meal. Her parents and grandparents watched as she covered the waffles with strawberries and then added scrambled eggs and bacon beside the meal. While they ate breakfast the group talked quietly and Elizabeth wondered how she was going to bring the subject of Victoria up. There had already been enough excitement with the duel in Diagon Alley still fresh in everyone’s mind. Bringing up the younger girl and what had happened to Marcus Beales-Armstrong was certain to ruin the mood and Elizabeth wasn’t prepared to do that.

“What do you have planned for the day, Elizabeth?”

“I thought that I would enjoy my parents and grandparents,” Elizabeth answered.

Artemis Trane smiled at his grandchild and admired the young woman that she had become. Even in the few short years that he had been in her life, Elizabeth had grown into an exceptional person who was well on her way into her future life. Her abilities had earned her respect and it was well known that Professor McGonagall had recommended the girl as her successor when the time came.

Her grandmother was also watching the young woman that she remembered as an infant. It wasn’t that she hadn’t loved her other granddaughter, but Anne had proven more difficult to get close to than her sister had. Elizabeth had always been eager to please others while Anne had been aloof and, at times, cruel.

“You really love those strawberries don’t you, Elizabeth?”

A swift nod of her head was the only response that the girl, who still had a mouthful, gave. She was well brought up and knew better than to speak with food in her mouth. The girl finally swallowed the bite and then responded.

“Grandmother, you know that I love strawberries.”

“As we found out when you were little and we couldn’t keep you out of the strawberry beds.”

They laughed as the girl blushed and finally finished with the meal before rising to walk to the sitting room where Elizabeth gasped as she saw the presents that were waiting for her. As beautiful as the presents were, however, what truly caught the eyes of the girl was the smiling boy that stood with his sister, cousins and friend. Elizabeth looked up at her parents with a stunned expression and it was her father who finally spoke.

“We had this planned, Elizabeth, because we knew that you wanted them here.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” she answered as she threw her arms around him to hug him. He stood for a short while as he ran his hand through her hair and then kissed her again on top of the head. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and he looked at her with surprise.

“Why do you have these tears, Elizabeth?”

“Because I’m so happy right now, you did this Daddy; you gave me all that I ever wanted right now.”

He hugged her again and then turned her to face Albus.

“Right now, young lady, I think that he’s waiting for some of that attention. I know that you have been missing him all term.”

Elizabeth stepped forward to hug Albus tightly before looking into his eyes and giving him a tender kiss.

“Happy Birthday, Beth, I remember the first one that you had at Hogwarts.”

“I do too, and I still have that picture that you gave me hanging near my nightstand at school.”

“She really does,” Lily chimed in as mischief filled her eyes, “she sits and looks at it all the time while she thinks about you!”

“Lily! You can’t say that in front of my parents and grandparents.”

“We already had imagined it,” Victoria added.

Elizabeth walked to the couch to settle down on it with Albus at her side. The young couple held hands while the first present was handed to the girl. She opened it carefully, after freeing her hand from the grasp of the boy, and squealed as an ancient book was revealed.

“Where did you find this?” she asked as she looked at her grandparents.

“In a bookshop in Spain,” her grandmother answered. “At one time it had been on a shelf at Hogwarts, but somehow ended up there in that bookshop.”

“We knew that you would like it, especially because it deals with Transfiguration.”

“It has to be at least three hundred years old,” Elizabeth said as she examined it with Beatrice looking over her shoulder.

“Be careful trying any of the charms, you never know what might happen,” her grandfather cautioned.

She looked at it for a few moments and then laid it aside to accept the present from her mother. A moment later a beautiful crystal owl was revealed and the teen looked at it curiously, waiting for it to do something. But it remained inert in her hands and she looked at her mother curiously.

“You love Muggle items and I found this in a store in London. Apparently they buy things to simply look at them and don’t expect them to do anything. It’s all rather odd if you ask me.”

Elizabeth nodded before setting the owl aside to accept her father’s present. The wrapping was soon removed to reveal a number of books. She looked at the rather odd bindings and then at her father.

“Muggles call them paperbacks, Elizabeth.”

“They’re more Muggle items?

“Yes, I thought that, since you love the Muggle books where the pictures don’t move so much that I would buy some of them for you.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” Elizabeth answered as she thumbed through the books quickly before Rose handed her a package.”

“It’s not much, but I had heard that you visited my Dad at the shop and bought a few things so I decided to give you a few more.”

Elizabeth was soon looking through the items that her friend had given her and was surprised to see more Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. She looked up at her friend with questioning eyes.

“It came in very useful when I was a Prefect and needed to sneak up on someone.”

“I guess that would be an advantage, but how did you see when it was totally dark?”

“Look again.”

Elizabeth glanced back into the box and saw a strange pair of glasses which she pulled out and then examined.

“They help you see when the powder has been used.”

“Thanks.”

Lily was next and Elizabeth was soon the owner of a beautiful picture of a dragon. She watched, entranced, as the dragon flew through the painted sky and breathed flames. The girl finally looked up and thanked her friend before Beatrice stepped forward to hand her a package. It revealed a number of hair combs which looked like butterflies, all the way down to flapping their wings occasionally.

“They’re beautiful, Beatrice,” Elizabeth said as she examined them.

“Your butterfly wasps gave me the idea. They don’t turn into wasps but I thought that they would fit the mood just the same.”

Finally, Albus stepped forward to hand Elizabeth a package and she opened it carefully to find a pair of crystal roses. The stems of them were intertwined and she looked at him curiously.

“They represent us, Elizabeth, they represent our love and how we’ll be together someday. Notice how they’re turning red, that represents the love that we feel right now.”

“Thank you, Albus, I love them, just like I love you,” she answered as she rose and then hugged him before kissing him.

“Thank you all so much,” she said after releasing the boy. “You‘ve all made me so happy.”

“Well, the cake will be ready in a short time and I understand that you two like banana splits,” Victoria chimed in, so I had one sent here to the house just for you.”

“You got us a banana split from the shop in Diagon Alley?”

“Yes, Honey, why do you ask?”

“Mom, they’re gigantic and the two of us couldn’t finish it.”

“Well, I actually ordered several, so I guess that we’ll just divide them so that everyone can have some ice cream.”

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief as her mother explained her plans and then settled back down onto the couch with Albus at her side while everyone talked. She watched as her mother left the room and then rose to follow her while the others chatted. The teen caught up with her mother in the dining room and Victoria turned to see her child behind her.

“Elizabeth, I thought that you would be with your guests.”

“Mom, there is someone else that I want to invite.”

“Who?” Victoria asked as apprehension grew in her.

“Mom, I have another sister, you know that and I think that you have known it for a while.”

“Yes, I’ve known about her. Is that who you want to invite?”

“Yes.”

Victoria Trane-Blackwell thought for a long moment and Elizabeth almost believed that she was going to say no. The teen prepared for and argument and was relieved when her mother finally spoke.

“If it means that much to you then of course you may invite her.”

“Thank you, Mom.”

Elizabeth hurried from the room to walk up to her bedroom where she retrieved the note that she had written to the younger girl. A few minutes later Stormy was flying towards her destination with the note in her beak.

_‘Maybe she can come around Christmas sometime before we go back to school.’_

She glanced out through her window to watch the owl and noticed something that she had never seen before in the garden. The girl was about to dismiss it as a statue that her parents had purchased and placed in the area until it moved. A moment later she spotted another figure in the garden and then yet another as it appeared through apparation. No there was no doubt in her mind what was going on as three more people appeared. She whirled from the window just as a curse blasted a section of wall away from the house, increasing the size of the window space. The bang nearly deafened the girl, but also alerted the others within the house.

A second bolt slammed into the wall, enlarging the hole even more and Elizabeth recovered just as a dark figure appeared in her bedroom. The wand that she had seized from her nightstand deflected the attack that the wizard launched and she hurled her own attack at the intruder.

“Elizabeth!” her mother screamed as several attackers entered the house to begin their assault.

The girl was already more than involved with the attack as two more figures appeared in her room while the third already lay on the floor, a victim of the girl. She dodged an attack which struck the mirror in her room and rebounded towards the very witch that had cast it. The woman screamed as her own curse struck her and she dissolved into a pool of horrible goo on the floor. The remaining wizard hurled a curse at the girl who cast a counter at the same time. The conflicting magic met in the middle with a huge bang, the force of which threw the girl against a wall and the wizard out through the window to land on the granite walk below. Elizabeth sagged against the wall as the wand that she had used fell from her senseless fingers.

The intruders below were having no easier time than their companions above. Several had already fallen to the magic of the group with Artemis dueling with a number of them at the same time. One after the other they fell as his nearly legendary dueling skills took a terrible toll on them. One wizard managed to finally get his hands on Lily and was preparing to disapparate when the girl used a Muggle trick and slammed the heel of her foot down on the arch of his, painfully raking his shin as her foot traveled down. He released her and she whirled away to cast a curse of her own which left him pinned to a wall, unable to move or do anything.

John and Victoria were dealing with an attack which had come through the kitchen and those witches and wizards were soon dealing with not only the defense that the husband and wife were putting up but also with the whirling hurricane of dishes, pots and pans and flatware that Chloe had summoned. One wizard, having just avoided a curse from Victoria, straightened up just in time to catch a frying pan in the face. He flew backwards and slammed into the wall to fall downwards into a heap on the floor.  
Beatrice, Albus and Rose were giving a good account of their training as they skillfully dealt with their attackers and had routed them when a shout from above seized their attention. All looked up to see Elizabeth being held by one of the dark wizards with a wand held to her head.

“Everyone drop your wands or she dies! I mean it, don’t try anything because I would really enjoy killing her,” he shouted.

Elizabeth was sagged against him, still rather dazed by the explosion in her room and had no clue as to what was happening. Her mind was beginning to clear and she knew something was wrong but couldn’t quite make sense of it yet. The wand in the hand of the wizard pressed against her temple harder as the defenders below hesitated at dropping their weapons.

“Do it! Drop your wands or I shall use the Killing Curse!”

The other dark followers began to swarm towards the home and were nearly there when several POPs announced new arrivals and then the battle commenced anew in the gardens around the house. Aurors stormed the flower beds and garden paths as the fight intensified and the wizard who held Elizabeth snarled as several of his cohorts fell.

“I told you what would happen,” he screamed as he began the curse that would end Elizabeth’s life. “ _Avada Ke_ …”

He fell forward as a curse struck him from behind and the girl, who had regained enough consciousness to realize what was happening, jerked free and shoved him away from her to fall over the railing to the floor below. Elizabeth whirled and raised her hand as the Auror threw her the wand that she had dropped. The dark forces in the room below, unprepared for this and drunk with confidence; weren’t ready for the incantation that the girl used next.

_“Lapis Vescendum Carnes!”_

Instantly the dark witches and wizards that had invaded the room began to change as they suddenly found themselves unable to move and their minds shutting down. The horrible transfiguration continued at a terrifying speed and it was only a breath or two before the victims were stone figures where living, breathing beings had once been.

The defenders rallied at once and then began to strike back as the girl raced down the stairs to add her wand to their effort. A witch appeared in the room right in front of her and slashed at her with the wand that she bore. Elizabeth howled with pain as flesh was sliced open on her cheek and then cast a second strike, this time with her fist. Unprepared for a Muggle attack, the witch took the hit on the tip of her nose and screeched as blood exploded from the injured feature before staggering backwards and falling over a chair. She started to rise as the girl cast another terrible attack.

_“Corpus Putesco!”_

The witch screamed as the curse struck her and her body began to decay rapidly. It was not long before the body was only bones surrounded by putrefying flesh. Elizabeth ignored the blood running down her cheek as she continued the surge to drive the followers of the Dark Lord back. One by one the dark witches and wizards began to apparate to escape the wrath of the angered occupants of the home and the Aurors that had come to their aid.  
Beatrice caught one wizard who was attempting to escape and cast a jinx that she had always enjoyed using.

_“Levicorpus!”_

Instantly her opponent was dangling in mid-air, unable to do anything but float as the girl disarmed him easily with a second spell.

_“Expelliarmus!”_

John watched as a wizard vanished and then caught movement near a doorway out of the corner of his eye just in time to cast a curse at the man. The wall, the man and the window behind him were blown outwards into the garden to land in a jumble of debris.

A sudden POP alerted them to the appearance of more forces and all were startled as Harry Potter and several more Aurors raced into the room to face any further attack. Only the man pinned to the wall, the one floating in air, several bodies and the petrified witches and wizards greeted them. One of the Aurors stepped carefully over the horrible smelling pool that had once been a witch and another walked into the room nearly dragging the wizard that had been struck by the frying pan.

Harry found Elizabeth sitting on the couch covered with blood from the wound to her cheek while Albus nursed his own injury, a wand arm broken when he had been thrown against the mantle. Lily and Beatrice were unharmed although streaked with soot from the fireplace after a charm had hit the logs within it and cast the debris into the air. Rose sat in a chair, dazed by the battle which had just occurred, her wand dangling from a limp hand while Elizabeth’s parents and grandparents tended to the children.  
More POPs sounded as more Aurors appeared and Hermione Granger-Weasley arrived with them. She looked around the room and then hurried to the side of her child to take the young woman into her arms. Elizabeth rose unsteadily to walk to her father’s side and then collapsed to the floor, her eyes rolled back in her head.

“Elizabeth!”

He knelt down to take the child in his arms and then vanished with a POP, leaving all behind him. The Aurors continued their sweep of the home and grounds to gather any further intruders into custody but, aside from those in the home and those already captured, none remained.

John and Elizabeth appeared in the lobby of St. Mungos and were swiftly surrounded by healers which had been startled by their sudden appearance.

“My daughter!” he shouted, “she’s been injured seriously.”

They rushed the unconscious girl into a room where a healer examined her injury.

“She’s been poisoned! Get Benjamin in here, he knows the most about this sort of thing and hurry because I don’t think that she has much time left.”

John watched as the horrible wound on his daughter’s cheek turned a strange color and then that color began to spread over her flesh rapidly. He was roughly shoved aside as a short, portly wizard entered the room and then pushed his way to the critically injured young witch. Elizabeth was examined with nearly feverish eyes and then the wizard turned to his aide to shout out his orders.

“Acromantula Venom! Get me the antidote and fast, she only has minutes to live if we don’t get it administered.”

John could only watch as the younger wizard vanished and then reappeared with a bottle that was filled with a strange looking potion that seemed to change colors as it moved. The healer opened the bottle and then drew his wand before shoving it into the liquid and then withdrawing it. A moment later that wand was traveling in the same manner as the one that had caused the injury, but John was amazed that as it moved the wound closed behind it and the skin began to return to its normal color. Elizabeth moaned and opened her eyes for a moment before closing them again.

The healer turned to John and spoke to him as his assistants prepared to move the girl to a room where they could keep an eye on her.

“She’ll sleep for several hours while the antidote clears the venom from her system. Your child is very lucky, another few minutes and there would have been nothing that I could have done. They’ll take her to a room where she can be observed and more doses of antidote administered as she needs it.”

“How did you know what venom it was?”

“Quite simple, the venom produces a green discoloration of the veins and capillaries that resembles a spider’s web. While the discoloration is green it is curable, once it becomes purple there is only death.”

John nodded and was preparing to leave the room when Victoria and her parents appeared in the lobby. The nearly frantic witch rushed into his arms and he held her tightly while she sobbed before he spoke.

“They treated her for Acromantula Venom, Victoria. We only just got her here in time. The healer said that if we had not that she would have died.”

“Can we see her?”

“They took her to a room to observe her and give her more venom antidote.”

“Can we see her?”

John nodded and it was not long before they were gathering around the very still form in the hospital bed. The wound on her cheek was closed, but the girl lay quietly as she slept. The healer approached them and Artemis glanced at him with a question in his eyes.

“Mors Somnus est Scriptor” the healer said to him as if in answer to his unspoken question.

“The sleep of death?” Artemis answered.

“Yes, she is quite alive, but shall remain like this until the venom is totally counteracted. The venom that was used was exceptionally potent, obviously coming from an ancient and very intelligent Acromantula.”

“Alive, but petrified, like a fly in a spider web,” Artemis answered.

“Yes, that is the best analogy of the situation. She is quite aware that you are here as her senses are fully functioning, but she is unable to move or speak. This should pass in a few hours, but until then she shall remain in this state.”

The family watched as he left the room and then turned to hold each other as they wondered what would happen next and if the girl in the bed would survive it.

The surviving dark witches and wizards that had escaped the battle had gathered in the ancient room under the castle. There were far fewer in attendance than had left the room to go into battle. They knelt as a tall figure in a dark robe entered the room followed by a smaller figure that was just as darkly clad.

“Were you successful? Does she still breathe?”

“We lost many to their response, my Lord,” one of the kneeling wizards responded. “There were far more present in the home than we expected. They caught us unprepared for their defense. The girl employed several curses that killed many of our best.”

“The girl killed?”

“Yes, my Lord, she used Transfigurations that ended their lives utterly. She is an extremely dangerous opponent. Artemis Trane was also present and bested several of our number. The strike against the home was doomed before it started.”

“The girl killed,” he mused, “now that is interesting! Perhaps she is closer to our side than we believed, we must prepare for another assault.”

“Yes, my Lord, as you command.”

The pair of figures on the dais watched as others hurried to leave their presence before pain was inflicted.

“One of our followers that we inserted at St. Mungos tells us that the girl was injured by Acromantula venom. Obviously one the members of the strike team was not as inept as the others, unfortunately the antidote was administered before it became fatal.”

The taller of the two turned to the other to speak.

“She may be cured, but it shall weaken her for quite a long time. She shall be easy prey when we get the chance to strike again.”


	19. Hopes and Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Elizabeth recovers from the attack, Harry prepares for what may be a resurgence of the Dark Forces.

Elizabeth spent much of the next two days in the bed at St. Mungos while she recuperated from the venom that had been used against her. Her family and friends had been relieved when, after several hours, she had managed to finally open her eyes and speak to them.

“Is everyone okay?” she asked weakly.

“Everyone is fine,” Victoria answered, “Chloe repaired the house with her usual efficiency and it looks just the same as it always has.”

“Tiger?” the girl asked as she sat up in the bed.

“Tiger is fine, Chloe is taking care of him while you’re here and he is doing okay.”

Elizabeth settled back down into bed and the crowd cleared as the healer stepped into the room to approach his patient.

“I understand that you could not keep your breakfast down this morning Elizabeth.”

“My stomach was a little queasy, why?” she asked warily.

“I was afraid of this. I’m going to have the nurse bring something in to help with that problem.”

“Please tell me that I don’t have to take Pain-B-Gone.”

“I could tell you that, but I’m not going to.”

Almost as if on cue, a nurse walked into the room with a glass and a very familiar bottle on a tray. The girl watched helplessly while several people in the room excused themselves and left.

“Cowards!” she called after them as the nurse poured some of the potion into the glass and mixed it before handing it to her patient.

Elizabeth grimaced and then tipped the glass up to allow the elixir into her mouth. She shuddered as it made its way to her stomach and, less than ten minutes later, was fast asleep. Her parents, grandparents and the healer stood and watched her quietly while she slept.

“She’s going to be fine, it’s just a good thing that you got her here when you did.”

“When can she go home?” Victoria asked as she caressed her child’s fair hair.

“Probably tomorrow,” the healer answered, “I want to be certain that we got ahead of everything. There’s no sense in sending her home only to have her come back the next day for the same reason.”

Victoria bent down to kiss Elizabeth on the forehead and then ran her fingers through the hair of the child again.

“She looks so small in that bed, John,” she said as she looked at her husband.

“I know.”

The healer left the room to allow the family to be with the child and for her friends to reenter the room. The group looked at their friend silently while she slept and none reacted when Albus stepped forward to kiss her on the lips.

“I love you, Beth, get well soon.”

He straightened to see her parents looking at him strangely

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” John answered, “you’re just the only person that I have ever known that she has allowed to call her Beth. She used to get so angry when someone would do it.”

“It’s my pet name for her.”

“As long as she doesn’t mind, we don’t mind,” John answered as he put his hand on the young wizard’s shoulder.

“I can stay with her if you want or need to go somewhere,” Albus offered.

“I think that I would be okay with that,” the girl’s mother answered.

Albus pulled a stool to the bedside and settled down on it while the room quietly emptied. He reached out to take the hand of the girl that he loved and kissed it gently while he watched her sleep.

In another room a wizard who worked in the hospital looked up from the Scrying Ball that he was watching. The girl was asleep and the son of Harry Potter was in the room with her. Two very high value targets in one place and the girl likely didn’t have a wand, not that it would do her much good anyway. He rose from where he was and left the room to walk towards hers. The strike had to be swift and sure or he risked retaliation or capture. Both of the young people had to die for the rewards from the Dark Lord would be great if he succeeded in his plan.

He was nearly to the room when Rose and Lily approached from the other direction, talking as they went. The wizard growled his disappointment for three people were far too many to handle without causing a commotion which would bring the Aurors. The daughter of Hermione Granger-Weasley was not known to be easy to handle in a duel and her companion was also rather formidable. He walked on past the room as the pair of girls entered the room to be with their friend, their excited chatter quieting as they closed the door behind them.

The girl would live for now, it was unfortunate but the truth. Her family and friends were close and they were unlikely to allow her to die without taking vengeance on her killer. He made his way back to his office to watch the girl from the safety of the Scrying Ball while he waited for an opportunity to strike.

Albus, Lily and Rose sat quietly while they watched Elizabeth sleep. Their friend had come within a hairsbreadth of death and it would take a while for her to be totally healed.

“Do you think that she’ll be up to Christmas?” Lily asked.

“Yeah, she might be a little weak, but she’ll be up to it,” Rose answered.

“I’m glad because I don’t think that Christmas would be the same without her.”

“At least everyone will be here for Christmas,” Albus interjected, “we had a really close call at her house.”

“Yeah, we got lucky. If Elizabeth hadn’t seen them from her bedroom window things might have been a lot different.”

Both Albus and Lily looked at Rose as she spoke and then listened as she spoke again.

“I just never thought that I would see Elizabeth kill someone willingly. She turned those people to stone statues and melted that witch. Mom said that the ones that got turned to stone probably can’t be restored so it was some really powerful magic.”

“Was it something that she learned from Koeppler?” Lily asked.

“I don’t know. It has her entire department stymied, no one knows what it was and I’ve never even heard a spell like the one that she used. It had to have been either really old magic or something far beyond anything that I know.”

Elizabeth wasn’t totally asleep because the Pain-B-Gone hadn’t done the usual efficient job that it normally did at making her doze. She could hear her friends talking and wanted more than anything to be chatting with them. The weakness from the venom still had her in its grip and she knew without being told that she had been lucky. Normally venom as powerful as that that had been used on her killed its victim nearly immediately, but she was still alive somehow. She tried to open her eyes but couldn’t, the venom that was still in her system and the medicine had combined to keep her in a state of semi-sleep.

_‘I wonder what I can do when I’m like this.’_

A small vase stood on the table next to her bed and she concentrated hard on making it move.

 _'Apparently,’_ she decided after hearing the crash when the item hit the floor, _’it’s better to do that when you’re awake.’_

Rose looked at the fallen vase and then at her friend while the other two in the room stared with amazement at it.

“She can do things even when she’s asleep,” the red headed girl exclaimed.

“Heck,” Lily responded, “she can do things when she’s asleep that I can’t do even when I’m awake.”

“Remind me again to never make her mad,” Albus said to his sister and cousin as he looked at the shattered vase before drawing his wand and waving it.

_“Reparo!”_

Just as swiftly as it had broken, the vase was repaired and waiting to be returned to the table. A second wave of Albus’ wand and an incantation later it was back where it had fallen from. They smiled as they looked at their friend and then relaxed to watch her sleep.

The lone wizard scowled as he watched the group and then grew even angrier when the parents of the girl reentered the room to check on her. Elizabeth Blackwell was far too well guarded to be easily taken so another plan was needed. He rose and vanished from the room to report what he had seen and to inform his leader that it was impossible to destroy their target at the hospital.

Hours later Elizabeth woke to find her friends and family standing around her.

“Hi everyone, why are you all looking at me like that?”

“We’re all just happy that you’re starting to look better,” her mother answered.

“Am I looking well enough to go home?” she asked hopefully.

“The healer wants you to spend another night here,” Victoria answered.

“Please don’t say that I have to take more Pain-B-Gone.”

“That is up to the healer, Elizabeth.”

“Merlin’s Beard,” she responded.

The group around her laughed and Elizabeth joined in, all the while feeling grateful that everyone that she loved was present and unharmed. The bed tray suddenly rolled in front of her and her meal appeared, courtesy of the elves that tended to the hospital kitchen. She opened the tray and inhaled the fragrance of the hot meal that had been sent to her.

“You look better already, the way that you are looking at that dinner,” her grandmother said approvingly.

‘I’m starving.”

“Then dig in, Honey, don’t let us stop you. You’ve had a hard last few hours and need the nutrition in you. That is unless you want me to go looking for some Pain-B-Gone to give you a dose.”

“What are you trying to do, Grandma, make me sick?”

The group laughed again and began to file out to allow the child a chance to eat while also remaining close by in case of trouble. They all knew that the forces that had tried to kill them likely had someone within the hospital and had made up their minds to keep an eye on her. Elizabeth, for all of her formidable capabilities, was extremely fragile and vulnerable at that moment. Even a mild attack had the possibility of doing heavy and irreversible, if not fatal, damage to the child in the hospital bed.

Elizabeth was busy eating the meal in front of her while also being reassured by the wand that her grandmother had slipped under her pillow. She knew as well as they did that she was a target and that an attack could come from any direction at any time. Although the hospital really didn’t want patients to have wands it was necessary and what the hospital didn’t know wouldn’t hurt it. She finished the meal and watched as the tray vanished and the cart rolled back to where it belonged although she held onto the glass of pumpkin juice that had been with the meal. It would refill itself as long as she wanted it to, only vanishing when she was finished with it.

A small glass which contained two small pills appeared, along with the nurse, and Elizabeth swallowed the pills before settling back in her bed.

“He wanted you to have another dose of venom antidote,” the witch exclaimed in answer to the girl’s unspoken question.

“Will I get to go home tomorrow?”

“Probably, he says that you are responding well to the treatment and aren’t showing any adverse reactions to the medicine.”

“I’ll be glad to be in my own bed.”

“Everyone who comes here says that and I guess that your own bed feels better than one of these.”

“Is my family still out there?”

“Your grandparents are, but I think that everyone else went to get something to eat. Would you like them to come in?”

“Please.”

“You just relax and I’ll get them for you.”

She watched the nurse leave and, not for the first time since it had been slipped to her, fingered the wand. Elizabeth knew that she was supposed to be safe here, but she still felt uneasy. The dark witches and wizards had proven that they could insinuate themselves into far more secure places than a hospital. At least with the wand in her hand she had an amount of protection. A moment later the nurse reentered the room with her grandparents following her.

“You look nearly well enough to tackle a dragon, young lady,” her grandfather said with a chuckle.

“Grandpa, I will do just about anything as long as I can get out of her and away from the Pain-B-Gone.”

Artemis and Amanda Trane laughed at their granddaughter’s statement.

“I remember your mother nearly begging me not to make her take it,” Amanda answered.

“It certainly isn’t the most pleasant tasting potion that I have ever encountered.”

“Elizabeth,” Artemis broke in, “medicine isn’t supposed to taste good.”

“I know. They make it taste that way so you don’t want to get sick.”

Artemis ruffled his grandchild’s hair as he sat down on the stool and another stool appeared for her grandmother.

“Have you given any more thought to your Animagus training? You never have told me what sort of animal you wish to be able to become.”

“Well, I actually have been thinking about it. I think that I want to become an owl like Stormy, she’s so beautiful both inside and out. I almost feel like I can see her soul when I look into her eyes.”

“You likely can see it, Elizabeth. Owls are very special creatures, not only because they deliver our mail, but also because we can seek counsel when we are with them. Stormy has opened herself to you if what you say is correct.”

“How did you decide which creature you wanted to be able to transform yourself into?” the girl asked.

“Like you, Elizabeth, I felt an attachment to an owl. It belonged to your great-great grandfather and I admired it many times as a boy. It wasn’t as docile as Stormy and delivered more than a few bites to unwary fingers, especially those of a young, unwise boy.”

“You?” Elizabeth asked as she looked at her grandfather.

“Yes, it was me. I never was one to listen to words of caution from an adult and paid for it with bitten fingers on more than one occasion.

Elizabeth giggled at the thought of her grandfather as a young boy and then looked at her grandmother.

“Did you listen to grown-ups, Grandma?”

“Only when I had no other choice,” the older woman responded to the wide eyed teenager.

“I never thought that my grandparents would do things like that,” she announced.

“Why do you say that, because we’re older now and have to set examples for you young people? Believe me, Elizabeth, when you have grandchildren they’ll be just as amazed as you are now when they find out what their grandmother was like as a child.”

“But, I mean, how will they know?”

“Oh, I’m very certain that your parents will be more than happy to tell their great-grandchildren about their grandmother as a child. If they don’t and I’m still around I will certainly be happy to tell the tale.”

Both Artemis and Amanda laughed as Elizabeth’s hand lifted to cover her mouth when the idea of her grandchildren learning about the things that she had done as a child formed in her mind. The girl knew that there was a distinct possibility of her grandparents still living when her grandchildren her born. They were looking at communicating with a generation years away from life, her children’s children!

“Maybe I should just tell them about things before they learn them on their own.”

Her grandparents laughed again as the teen settled back into bed to consider her future. All in the room looked up as the girl’s parents stepped back into the room and Elizabeth accepted a kiss from her mother as more stools appeared.

“What are you so quiet about?” Victoria asked her daughter.

“Grandma and Grandpa have been scaring the daylights out of me by telling me about the future.”

“The future, what do you mean by that?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I will be very interested in hearing it someday.”

“To make it short, Mom, please be gentle when you tell my kids about the things that I have done.”

“Do you mean the things that got you into trouble or the things that will embarrass you?”

“Both.”

“Afraid that your children, how we got on the subject of that I have no idea, will find out what a stinker their mother could be when she was a kid?”

“That’s exactly what I am afraid of.”

The adults laughed again while the teenager considered what had been said. Abruptly her mother changed the subject, much to Elizabeth’s relief.

“The healer said that you would be going home tomorrow.”

“Really?” Elizabeth asked as she sat up quickly in her bed.

“They’re kicking you out before they have to give you more Pain-B-Gone,” John answered.

“Can I go home now, before they change their minds?”

“No chance, Honey, they want to keep an eye on you for one more night. But you should be out shortly after breakfast tomorrow.”

“Are one of you going to spend the night with me?”

“No, but there will be a female Auror just outside the door all night long and the healers will be checking on you occasionally.”

“Where are Albus, Lily and Rose?”

“Honey, they’re visiting their cousin Meredith.”

“Has she gotten any better?”

“I’m afraid not. Whatever happened to her it still has her in a coma.”

“Is she going to die?”

“I don’t know, Honey, I just don’t know.”

“She can be a real pain in the backside but I hate to see anyone like that. I can only imagine what it must have been like for you when I was here like that. Now her parents and family have to go through it too.”

“She’ll be okay, I’m certain of it.”

“Mom, Dad, before I leave tomorrow I want to visit her in her room.”

“I am certain that that would be okay, Elizabeth.”

A sudden thought came into the mind of the girl and she looked up at her parent with wide and wary eyes.

“Are they going to give me Pain-B-Gone to help me sleep?”

“I doubt it,” Victoria said as she ran her fingers over the hair of her child, “I think that you’re well enough that they don’t have to do that. But if you really want it, I’m certain that they can help you out.”

“No, I’m just fine; I really don’t need any help going to sleep.”

“That’s good,” an unexpected voice announced from behind her parents. They turned to see the healer standing just inside the room while he looked at a parchment that the girl knew was about her. “I’ve been looking at your file and I think that we can let you leave tomorrow and do without medication tonight although I will be having you take home more of the antidote pills. I know that they don’t taste good, but it’s important that you take all of them.”

“Okay,” Elizabeth answered quickly.

“I do want you to get some good sleep in so don’t stay up too late tonight or it will be some of your favorite elixir to help you sleep.”

“No need for that, sir, I promise that I will go right to sleep.”

“You had better,” the wizard answered before stepping out of the room.

Elizabeth watched as her parents and grandparents rose from stools that vanished as their occupants left them. The adults took turns giving the girl kisses and then left the room as the lights lowered to a dim glow to encourage the occupant of the room to sleep. The knowledge that she was still being watched over reassured the girl and she was soon asleep, unaware that the Auror was not the only one watching her.

He watched the teenager sleeping and knew that now his chances were better, but not much. The Auror that had been assigned to guard the room was not one to be trifled with and he knew that he had little chance of beating her in a duel. Attempting to convince the witch that he was going into the room to give the patient medicine wouldn’t work either as the healer in charge had no doubt given instructions limiting access to Elizabeth Blackwell. Apparating into the room wouldn’t work either as a magical shield had been placed around the room. Clearly they would have to wait until she was outside the hospital before they could make another attempt. He hoped that the next attempt would be more successful than the previous one.

The last attempt had been costly with several dead while others had been captured and now were in Auror custody. If even one of them talked about the plans, the Auror sweeps after the downfall of Voldemort would be minor compared to the ones that Harry Potter would lead. Nothing and no one would be safe from investigation and many more of their number would start the trip to Azkaban Prison.

While the girl slept Harry Potter examined the wall of his office, looking at the posters of those that were wanted by his department. One of them had been killed recently and he had just removed that poster, which left a large number still at large. Some of them dated back to the days of Voldemort and the battle at Hogwarts, those were the ones that he wanted the most. Those that had helped in some way with the deaths of so many of his friends and mentors had a special place of hatred in his heart and mind.

He walked back to his desk to examine the poster that had just come off of his wall. One less dark wizard in their world was a good thing and at least now there were far fewer posters on the wall for him to look at. The poster vanished from his desk and he knew that now it had joined the file on the wizard in the vault far below his office. Likely this had been the last time that light would ever fall on the face of Gerald Bennet and their world was better for it. He forgot about the poster as his mind turned to the attack that had placed Elizabeth in St. Mungo’s and had also endangered his children and niece.

The assault on the home of Elizabeth Blackwell worried him for clearly the girl had been targeted by the successor of Tom Riddle. Elizabeth had managed to eliminate a number of members of the new dark lord’s forces. Clearly the girl did not always use spells that the elves favored for one of the spells used had literally melted one of the witches, putrefying her flesh while she was still living, and other attackers had been irreversibly transformed to stone. Normally his office would have taken offense to a witch killing other members of the magical community, but the girl, her family and friends had been under an intense attack and she had had little choice.

He looked again at the wall at the small group of those who had been on the run since the battle at Hogwarts all those years ago. Four remained in hiding and very much a threat which made him want them all the more.

_‘Where are you four hiding and what do you have planned?’_

A folder appeared on his desk and he opened it to see a report of dark activity near Manchester. He sighed as he sent a dispatch which would send a team of Aurors to investigate the occurrences. The reports were coming with increasing frequency and he knew that it meant that something bigger than an attack on one house was coming. There was another war coming and that meant many more deaths and much tragedy for their world.


	20. Rejection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth looks for answers after an unexpected resistance.

Elizabeth lay in bed the next morning while she ate the breakfast that had been prepared for her. She grimaced slightly at some of it as it wasn’t of the caliber of the food prepared at Hogwarts and definitely not that from home. The teenager knew that she was going home that morning and was grateful for the news. Another day in the hospital would have tested her patience and she knew that her parents wouldn’t approve of an outburst.

The tray vanished after she had finished and pushed it aside and she watched as a curtain suddenly rushed around her bed and her clothing appeared. She knew what that meant and she hurried to change out of the hospital clothing. Elizabeth felt much better as she had taken a shower before breakfast and now was back in her own clothes. The sound of her parent’s voices coming down the hall told her that freedom was at hand and she slipped her wand into her pocket just as the door opened.

The curtain pulled aside when she was dressed and she stepped out to meet them.

“Well, look at you,” Victoria exclaimed as she hugged her child, “all dressed and ready to escape I take it.”

“I can’t leave soon enough, Mom.”

“Then you have spoken to the healer?”

“Yeah, I have some pills that I have to take for the venom. They taste terrible, almost as bad as Pain-B-Gone,” she answered with a shudder.

Her parents laughed at her comment and expression and it was not long before she was walking down the corridor with them. They were shocked when she suddenly stopped and turned down a corner to walk towards another room. Intrigued, they followed her until she reached a room and then opened the door before entering.

A glance through the window of the door exposed Meredith Weasley’s parents and the child who was still in a coma while their daughter approached the bed slowly.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.”

“You have nothing to sorry for, Elizabeth,” Meredith’s mother answered.

“But, I should have protected her.”

“She wouldn’t have accepted it,” the girl’s father said quietly, “for some reason Meredith decided that she didn’t want or need anything from you. We know that you didn’t do anything to deserve her hatred, Meredith has always been this way and we thought that the structure at Hogwarts would help her. Apparently we were wrong because the owls coming from Professor Leeds and some of the other professors had us ready to pull her out of school. We had an older witch ready to tutor her, but now we don’t know if she’ll ever recover from this or if we’ll be spending the rest of our lives visiting this hospital when we want to see her.”

Elizabeth nodded her understanding and then stepped forward to hug the adults. Then she stepped forward to bend down and kiss the small girl in the bed on the forehead.

“Please get well, Meredith, you need to so you can come back to school.”

Meredith could hear everything being said and her mind was spinning as her frequent opponent showed her some affection. She felt the wet, warm feeling of one of Elizabeth’s tears hit her face and slowly realized that the older girl truly cared for her and that she had been very wrong to have behaved the way that she had. Sadness washed over the girl and she wanted to call out to Elizabeth as the sixth year left her bedside before walking out of the room to leave her parents on their silent vigil.

_‘If I ever get out of this, I’m going to apologize to her. I’m never going to be mean to her again and anyone that is will hear it from me.’_

Elizabeth rejoined her parents with tears in her eyes and allowed her father to put his arm around her as they walked out of the building before apparating home.

As she appeared in the living room of her home Tiger jumped down from where he had been and rushed to his young owner. Elizabeth picked him up and buried her face in his fur while she cried softly and settled down in a chair. John and Victoria watched their daughter cry and worried, Elizabeth was sensitive and vulnerable right now and the last thing that she needed was more tragedy. A sudden noise at the window announced an owl that they didn’t recognize as it delivered a message for the girl. Victoria accepted the envelope and then gave the owl a treat before it took wing and vanished once again.

“Elizabeth, you have an owl.”

The girl looked up from her companion and accepted the envelope that her mother had offered her. A moment later, after the envelope had been opened, a letter written on red paper that reminded them of a Howler lifted into the air and a voice that none of them recognized spoke to the girl.

**_Miss Blackwell,_ **

**_As much as we appreciate your gesture to our granddaughter, Victoria shall not be travelling to your home and we truly do not want any further correspondence from you or anyone within your family. Your mother caused enough problems within our family and we wish nothing to do with you or her!_ **

**_As a result of your invitation and your obvious presence within Hogwarts, which we were not aware of, Victoria shall not be returning to Hogwarts after holiday break. Consider this the last communication that you shall receive from our family. Should you decide to contact Victoria again I shall contact the appropriate authorities!_ **

**_Rosalynn Beales-Armstrong_ **

Elizabeth could only watch as the letter shredded itself, fell to the floor and then burst into flames that swiftly consumed it, leaving no trace. The girl looked up at her parents with a stunned expression and then hugged Tiger again as her mother sat down beside her and put her arm around her.

“I’m sorry, Elizabeth.”

“It’s okay, Mom, I guess that I should have expected it.”

“You might have expected it, Elizabeth, but you certainly didn’t deserve it,” Victoria said as the anger grew in her. Her daughter had done nothing to but invite her friend to Christmas and had been rudely rebuffed by an adult. “Do you want me to speak to Victoria’s grandparents?”

“No, Mom, _I’m_ going to!”

Victoria had only a moment to react as she saw the determined expression her daughter’s face before the girl vanished with a POP, leaving Tiger and her wand on the couch next to her mother.

“Oh dear Merlin, John, she’s gone to their home.”

John Blackwell looked at the spot where his daughter had just been a moment before as they prepared to make the same journey that she had.

Elizabeth appeared outside a quaint, but small cottage in the country and strode towards the door with a grim expression on her face. She reached up and rapped sharply on the door, which was opened a moment later by an older witch who nearly fainted when she realized who was at her door.

“You’re her, aren’t you?”

“I’m Elizabeth Blackwell, Mrs. Beales-Armstrong; I’m your other granddaughter.

“You’re lying.”

“Then how do you explain the fact that my father’s name was Marcus Beales-Armstrong? He was your son, wasn’t he?”

“Even if you are his daughter, you’re no grandchild of mine! I won’t have the offspring of that harlot calling me grandmother.”

“How dare you call my mother that? You’re a wicked old squib!”

The woman recoiled at the insult and Elizabeth caught motion at the corner of the house as an old wizard approached her with a drawn wand.

“You’re leaving now, Miss Blackwell.”

“So, my grandfather by a bastard who abandoned a child and refused to acknowledge her finally speaks after sneaking around. I’m actually very glad that you two don’t want to have anything to do with me because the family that raised me at least has pride and respect for others. All that I did was acknowledge a sister that I had no idea that I had! All that I did was care for another person! All that I did was to be a good a teacher to her as I could be! All that I did was to be a friend and to invite a child to Christmas and all that you insecure, pathetic excuses for people did was slam the door on that! I’m glad that you don’t want to be my grandparents, because there is no way that you could even start to measure up to the ones that call me their granddaughter and love me!”

“Leave, Elizabeth Blackwell, before I call the Aurors,” the witch growled as she spoke to the girl.

“Please do call the Aurors, Grandmother; I’ll enjoy watching him explain why he has a wand drawn on someone who has nothing to threaten with! I’ll also enjoy watching them take him away to stand trial before the Wizengamot for assault. So please, by all means, call them or should I?”

A series of POPs sounded as Elizabeth’s parents and grandparents appeared as well as several Aurors.

“Do we need to continue this conversation at the headquarters of the Aurors or would you like them to leave,” Elizabeth asked as she looked at the approaching Aurors.

The old wizard slowly lowered his wand and then let it fall to the ground as the Aurors reached them.

“Is there a problem here?”

Elizabeth looked at the Auror that she recognized and then at the older couple.

“I don’t know,” she answered before looking at her father’s parents again, “is there, Mr. and Mrs. Beales-Armstrong?”

The old couple looked at one another and then Rosalynn Beales-Armstrong answered.

“There is no problem,” Rosalynn responded weakly. “All that we want is for Elizabeth and her family to leave.”

“Do you have a problem with that, Miss Blackwell?”

“None at all,” the girl answered, “but I shall leave with this. I intend to contact Professor Bellins in the Ministry and recommend that Victoria be admitted to P.E.T.S. She’s incredibly talented and her marks assure her acceptance. I’ll request that she attend Hogwarts and I shall be her sponsor.”

The older couple watched with incredulous eyes as the girl turned on her heel and walked back to her family.

“Have a wonderful day and do expect an owl from Professor Bellins,” she chirped before the group vanished to return home.

The Auror looked back at the older couple who still stood at their front door.

“I don’t know what happened here but I can tell you that you have made a powerful enemy there.”

“Yes,” Rosalynn answered as she trembled, “we have.”

Elizabeth and her family appeared in the living room of their home and the girl immediately walked to the desk where parchment and a quill waited. The adults watched as she wrote swiftly and, before long, was placing the letter in an envelope and walking to the window where Stormy waited. The envelope and owl vanished and Elizabeth turned back to her family.

“Honey, what did you just do?”

“Mom, I just sent an owl to Professor Bellins recommending Victoria for P.E.T.S.”

“Is that wise?”

“She’s nearly as good as I was in class at the end of my first term and does very well on exams. Yeah, I think that it was wise, plus I want her at Hogwarts where I can keep my eye on her.”

“Is something wrong? Why do you want to keep an eye on her?”

“I have my reasons.”

“And those are?”

“Not going to be explained until I am ready.”

Victoria watched as her daughter walked out of the house to journey to the garden. The attack had changed Elizabeth and the wand that she had picked up before leaving told the adult that anyone who attempted anything with the girl was in for a fight. The older witch watched as her daughter made her way to a bench and then settled down on it before a coat flew through the air to answer the spell that the child had obviously used. Elizabeth slipped the coat on and then sat back down on the bench to think.

“Does one of us go out there?” John asked as he stood behind his wife with his hands on her shoulders.

“No, I think that she just wants to be alone to mull things over. She’s changed, John, the attack and everything that has happened since she started school has changed her. Right now she’s more dangerous than many witches ever become and she’s ready to meet any challenge. I’m worried that she has started down a path that she can never return from, a path that will lead to Azkaban.”

“You’re not serious I hope.”

A tearful nod was the only response that Victoria could give and they watched their child as she sat in the snow covered garden and thought.

Victoria Beales-Armstrong had listened to the confrontation between her grandparents and her older sister. Clearly her grandparents weren’t going to accept Elizabeth as their granddaughter and didn’t want her to return to Hogwarts, something that hurt the child deeply. But Elizabeth had stood up to her grandparents and told them that she was sending a letter to the Ministry for some reason. She had also said that she wanted her younger sister to return to Hogwarts to study and that she would be a sponsor, whatever that meant.

She settled back down on the bed that she had been sitting on to listen to the argument while she thought.

_‘She really wants me back at Hogwarts! Elizabeth, my big sister, wants me back at school and she wants it bad enough to argue with Grandma and Grandpa. I’ve never seen anyone argue with them and win, but she did. I can’t wait to go back to school and see her again.’_

The small girl fell asleep thinking about what she had heard and the fun that she would have when she went back to school and saw her sister.

When Elizabeth finally came back into the house, after much encouragement from her grandmother, she hung the coat that she had been wearing in the closet and then settled down in front of the fire while she cuddled Tiger. The cat purred while she scratched his ears and then stuck her nose into his fur.

“Have you been a good kitty?” she asked as she remembered him climbing the Christmas Tree in the Gryffindor Common Room during her second year. “I see some packages with your name on it and if you want them you have to be good. Leave the tree alone and just chase mice if you happen to see them.”

“Are you feeling better?”

Elizabeth looked up at her mother to see the cup that was being offered to her. She accepted it and was delighted to see hot cocoa in it. Of all of the Muggle treats, this was the one that she enjoyed the most. She sipped it carefully and then nodded to her mother.

“Yeah, I feel better, especially with a mug of hot cocoa in my hand.”

“You took a chance today, you know that don’t you?”

“It was worth it.”

“Why?”

“Mom, she’s my grandmother and she treated me like I was Dragon Pox.”

“I’m sorry, Elizabeth, I should have warned you about the response that your invitation would likely bring.”

“Yeah,” the girl said as she took another sip, “well, she got my response. Victoria is going to Hogwarts and there is nothing that her, not my, grandmother can do about it.”

“Then you’re not going to consider them your grandparents?”

“Why should I? The greeting I got wasn’t exactly warm! I mean, getting ordered off of the property and having a wand drawn on me! They’re both fortunate that I didn’t show them what I can do. Victoria could be scraping them off of the walls right now if I had gotten really angry.”

A horrific vision at her daughter's words alarmed Victoria and she spoke softly to her child.

“None of that please.”

Another sip was swallowed and Elizabeth abruptly changed the subject as she pointed at a large package with her name on it.

“I can’t wait to see what is in there.”

Victoria laughed as she ruffled the fur of the cat that had abandoned his owner and jumped up onto her lap.

“You’ll just have to wait until Christmas morning. Honestly, Elizabeth, you’re no better than you were when you were little. You’re still anxious to open the presents.”

“Of course I am! The anticipation is killing me.”

“Will Albus and your other friends be visiting us again?”

“Yes, but probably not until after Christmas. They want to spend the holiday with their families and I can’t blame them.”

“Someday it will be your family,” Victoria said as she glanced at the ring on her daughter’s hand.

“Yeah, it will, but this will always be home.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” the witch said as she leaned down to kiss her daughter before releasing the cat and rising to walk away.

“Mom?”

Victoria turned back to her daughter in response to the summons.

“Yes, Elizabeth, did you need something?”

“If my father killed someone, why didn’t the Dementors deliver their kiss?”

“Elizabeth, you really don’t need to hear any of this.”

“But I need to know.”

Victoria sighed and then spoke.

“Elizabeth, the Dementors had been sent away from Azkaban after they joined Voldemort.”

“Then they wouldn’t have been at his trial?”

“No,” Victoria answered, “they wouldn’t have been there. It happened after their expulsion and exile. Why do you ask?”

“I’m just curious.”

“Do yourself a favor and be curious about something else, like that package.”

Elizabeth rose after her mother left and watched as Tiger fell asleep in front of the fire before rising herself and hurrying to the portrait of Sebastian Trane.

“Elizabeth? What is my Star doing here?”

“I need to use your portrait to get to the laboratory in my box.”

“Very well, but I would think that you would want to stay away from school during break.”

“I just need to check on a potion that is brewing in the laboratory.”

“It must be very important.”

“Believe me, it is.”

Abruptly the portrait swung open and Elizabeth slipped through the passage to find herself in the library of the box. The trip to the laboratory was quick and she was soon examining the bubbling mixture in the cauldron. It was still not quite ready for use and she could smell the Pain-B-Gone within it. The directions that she had for it told her that there were still several days of brewing required and then it needed to cool gradually before being used. Then she would be ready to determine who was pretending to be someone that they weren’t.

“I’m going to be ready for you, whoever you are, and you’re not going to see it coming until it’s too late.”

She stepped out of the laboratory and walked briskly back to the portrait to return home. As the portrait of Sebastian closed behind her in her home the wizard spoke to her.

“Is all well?”

“Yes, very well, thank you.”

“I do not know what you are up to, but be cautious.”

“I intend to.”

She hurried away from the portrait and soon was settling down into a chair in front of the mantle. Tiger took advantage of the open lap and soon was settling down into his favorite place to nap while his owner ran her hand over his coat. The contented purring that started told the girl that her pet was happy and she relaxed for the first time in several days. The confrontation with her father’s parents had taken a lot out of her and, although nothing had occurred, she had known that a conflict had been very probable.

Victoria glanced into the living room at her child and knew that more trouble was coming. Things didn’t add up, for she knew Marcus’ mother and the witch would have made certain to tell Elizabeth everything that she could about her father. She would have said anything that she could to hurt the child, but hadn’t. This meant that Elizabeth would likely make another visit to the area where her father’s parents lived. Rosalynn had told her to stay away from their home, but there was nothing to stop Elizabeth from visiting the town.

Elizabeth was thinking the same thing and also about her grandparents. Perhaps it was time that she visited her father’s final resting place and then did some investigating of her own.

_‘I’m going back there. I don’t have to visit them at their home, I can learn quite a lot from a distance. She’s hiding something and I intend to find out what it is.’_

Hours later, with a full belly and intent in her mind, Elizabeth walked up to her bedroom after saying goodnight to her parents and grandparents. She settled down into bed and soon was asleep, aware that her parents would likely look in on her. A chance to visit the town where they lived would come and then she would learn all that she could about her father and why her grandparents were frightened enough to lie.

Rosalynn Beales-Armstrong stood in her living room as she thought about the young witch that had visited her home that afternoon. There was no doubt that Elizabeth was her granddaughter, she looked too much like Victoria to not be. She knew that it was much more than anger that had brought the young woman to her home, it had been curiosity. The girl would come back, that much was certain, and when she did things had the potential to get very bad.

The old woman settled back in her chair as she thought about the confrontation that was coming. The one today had been minor, without destructive magic being used, but the next was likely to be much different. A tear ran down her cheek as she looked up at the picture of a young man that hung above the mantle.

_‘What have you done, Marcus? What have you brought into our lives? You have given us two granddaughters and, although they look quite alike, Elizabeth is quite different from Victoria, Marcus. She is far less willing to accept an explanation of something that she doesn’t understand. She will return, maybe not to our home, but she will return for answers and will not be held off forever.’_

Rosalynn sat there for quite a long while as she considered what had happened outside her front door and what was likely to happen in the future.


	21. Grave Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth goes back to the village where her father's parents reside, but finds something much different than what she sought.

Elizabeth opened her eyes the next morning and hurried to rise to walk down to the breakfast that was waiting for her. She had a full day planned and wanted to get it started as soon as was possible. The potion wasn’t done and so would have to wait, but there were other things that she needed to explore and now was ready to do so.

‘She never said that I couldn’t visit the town and the cemetery. I need to see his grave, it’s the only way that I can begin to accept things.’

Victoria looked up as her daughter walked into the room and settled into the vacant chair at the table before picking up the cup of tea that had just appeared in front of her. Elizabeth blew on it gently before taking a sip and grimacing.

“Is it a bit strong?” Victoria asked as she smiled at her child’s reaction.

“I think that it needs some lemon,” the teen answered.

An instant later, a bowl with lemon slices appeared on the table and the girl hurried to add one to her cup before picking up her fork to begin eating the breakfast in front of her.

“You must be starving, the way that you are hurrying through that breakfast.”

Elizabeth looked at her father and nodded.

“I’m famished.”

“Well, there is plenty more if you want it.”

The girl continued to eat and talk with members of her family while her mother watched her curiously. Elizabeth was up to something, that much was certain, and her mother assumed that it had something to do with her father and his parents. The curiosity of the child was monumental and she would not accept an explanation easily.

“Elizabeth dear, what do you have planned for the day?” Victoria asked.

“I was thinking about a trip to Diagon Alley and the apothecary there, why?”

“I had hoped that we could spend some time together. Would you mind if I tagged along?”

The girl shrugged her shoulders in answer while she chewed on a piece of sausage.

“I don’t care,” she answered after swallowing. “It’s all going to be rather boring, though. I just need to pick up some things for the remainder of the term at school. Professor Tindwell told me that he’s starting to get us ready for our N.E.W.T. s next year.”

“And you’re trying to stay ahead of things?”

“Mom, I only have one term left after this one, I’m almost done and I want to be ready.”

Victoria smiled at the determined look on her daughter’s face. Elizabeth was so much different that her sister, Anne. The older girl had such a laissez faire attitude about things, something that hadn’t served her well in school, while Elizabeth was very driven and wanted to be ahead of everything in both class and life. Perhaps it could all be attributed to the sibling rivalry that had developed between two young women or the fact that Anne didn’t accept Elizabeth as her sister.

She watched with amusement as the girl lit up as a favorite breakfast pastry appeared on the table in front of her and hurried to put some of it on her plate. It was soon covered with strawberries and being allowed to cool before the girl even touched it.

“It is still a bit hot for you, Elizabeth?”

The girl put the fork down that she had used to take an experimental bite from the dish in front of her and nodded at her father’s query.

“Yeah, Daddy, it’s still really hot.”

She picked up the cup of tea and then took a sip while also watching her cat at his bowl. Tiger was enjoying the eggs that had appeared in it and she giggled as she watched him.

“Tiger, sometimes you can be so funny.”

“What’s he doing that has you laughing, Elizabeth?”

“He’s batting at some of his breakfast, Mom.”

The girl took another sip of tea before picking up her fork again and sampling the pastry again. This time it was much more to her liking and she enjoyed the treat. They had it frequently and it was one of the things that she missed while at school.

“You know,” she announced between bites, “the elves at Hogwarts don’t make this for breakfast.”

“That explains why you can’t get enough of it while you’re home,” Amanda responded. “They’re starving our baby girl at school.”

“I do get a bit thin while I’m away,” she answered mournfully while glancing down at her midriff. “I’m just skin and bones when I get home at the end of the term. It takes all summer just to fatten me back up.”

The adults laughed at her response and Elizabeth joined them while inwardly thinking to herself.

_‘How in the name of Merlin do I get away while Mom is with me? She knows that I’m up to something otherwise she wouldn’t want to tag along. If I say that she can’t join me it will just prove that I had plans.’_

When the plate was empty she finished the tea and then rose from her seat.

“Finished already?” Artemis Trane asked.

“Yeah, I want to get a start on the day.”

Elizabeth walked from the room while the adults watched her and then spoke.

“Do you think that I spoiled any plans?” Victoria asked.

“I think that you may have put a damper on some.”

“I’m just trying to protect her, John.”

“I know, Victoria, but sooner or later she’s going to rebel. She’s seventeen and won’t put up with parents tagging along for much longer, unless she wants you to.”

“Are you saying that I should not go with her today?”

“No, but I am saying that at some point in time you might want to discretely excuse yourself. We don’t want her thinking that we don’t trust her.”

“What if she goes back to their home?”

“She won’t,” Amanda answered. “Victoria, I don’t think that she will, but I do think that she will visit that town. I believe that she had planned that today and will do it eventually. She’s looking for answers about her past and will find them one way or the other.”

“What if she gets hurt in the process? What then?”

“Elizabeth is strong, Victoria, far stronger than any of us were at that age,” her mother answered. “We got through things in our lives that we wondered about and she will too.”

“I worry about her, Mom.”

“I seem to remember a young girl that I worried about too.”

“I guess that you’re all right, perhaps I should plan to meet with some of you later today and leave her to her own plans.”

“I think that that would be the best plan of action.”

Elizabeth walked back into the room a moment later with her traveling cloak on. Victoria glanced up at her daughter and then spoke.

“Are you ready, already?”

“Yeah, I want to check on some herbs at the apothecary. The one in Hogsmeade didn’t have any that were fresh and stale ones don’t work as well in the potion I have to brew.”

“Well, your father and grandparents want to come along,” Victoria answered and then added as she read the disappointment in her child’s face, “and I’m going to wait until they’re ready. If you want to run along you can, I’m quite certain that you know the way and don’t need me to watch over you.”

Elizabeth brightened and then nodded before vanishing with a POP.

“She’ll go to Diagon Alley just for appearances and then slip away as soon as she can,” Amanda noted.

“Just like I used to when I was seventeen?”

“Just like you used to when you were seventeen and didn’t want your mother hanging around with you.”

Elizabeth appeared in Diagon Alley firmly knowing what had transpired. Her grandparents had managed to talk her mother out of tagging along and now she had been left to her own devices for the day. She did need the herbs that she had talked about and hurried to the apothecary to buy some. The witch behind the counter smiled as the teenager stepped into her shop.

“Hello Elizabeth, what can I do for you today?”

“I need Smorgood’s Herb, if it’s fresh.”

“You’re getting ready for N.E.W.T.s too?”

“Professor Tindwell said that we need them when we get back from break and that they can’t be dried out.”

“You definitely don’t want dry herbs for what he has planned. He told me all about it before he left for his home at the start of break. Your class has something interesting planned for it I can tell you that much.”

Elizabeth accepted the carefully wrapped package that was handed to her and looked at it curiously.

“The wrapping will keep it fresh as long as it is not opened. You could leave it like that for ten years and it would still be fresh when you opened it.”

The girl nodded and then reached into her purse to pull out some coins.

“How much do I owe you?”

“Two sickles.”

The witch accepted the silver coins and then watched as the girl carefully placed the package into her bag.

“Did you need anything else, Elizabeth?”

“Yeah, I have this list for class,” the girl said as she pulled a parchment from her bag.

The witch looked at the list that she had been handed and then the girl watched as a bag filled with the requested items. The eyes of the girl were filled with continued wonder as the joy at the world that she had grown up in amazed her. A few minutes later, the requested items were going into her bag and she was paying for them just as her mother stepped into the building.

“I thought that I might find you in here, young lady.”

“Yep, I got everything that I need,” the teen answered as she flashed a brilliant smile.

“Well, your father and grandparents and I have decided to do some shopping. You are more than welcome to join us or wander on your own. I would assume that you will be stopping in at Ollivander’s to see your young man.”

“He’s at home with his parents, so I have to wait to see him.”

“What are you going to be up to then?”

“Just wandering around, I guess.”

“Well, don’t get into too much mischief.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Victoria kissed her child gently on the forehead and then stepped back out of the building, leaving her daughter to realize that she had just been given leave to do as she wished. The girl finished her business in the shop and then exited the building to vanish from the alley with a POP. Her family watched from inside another shop and then Victoria finally spoke.

“There she goes.”

“I hope that she learns everything that she wants to and nothing that she doesn’t,” Amanda answered.

Elizabeth stepped out of the shadows in the small town where her paternal grandparents lived. No one paid much attention to the young woman who walked out from between two buildings and onto the square of the town. Other than mild curiosity at the stranger in their midst they paid her no mind and she soon stepped into what was obviously a small church.

A tall man approached her and she took a moment to look around the room that she was in before he arrived.

“Can I help you?”

“I certainly hope so. I’m looking for a grave in the cemetery and have no clue where to start my search.”

“Well, I can certainly help you if that grave is within our place of rest. What is the name of the person that you wish to find?”

“Marcus Beales-Armstrong,” she answered.

The brow of the man furrowed and then he shook his head.

“I am sorry but I do not recognize that name.”

“Are there other cemeteries in town?”

“There is one. It is quite a lot larger than the one here and there will be no one present to help find the grave that you seek. Is it a recent death?”

“Yes.”

“If that is the case, then you shall need to look near the statue of the angel. All of the other graves are older.”

“Where is that cemetery?”

“On top of the hill, just north of town, you cannot miss it.”

“Thank you for your time.”

“I hope that you find whoever you are looking for.”

“I do too.”

The girl turned and walked out of the room not knowing that the man that she had talked to hurried back into the shadows to speak with someone that she had not seen.

“You were quite right, the girl was here.”

“Very good! Did you send her to where we need her?”

“Yes, she will be at the graveyard soon.”

“And we shall be waiting for her there.”

“The gold that I was promised for delivering her, I want it now.”

“When the girl is dead you shall receive it and not a moment before.”

Elizabeth walked toward the cemetery that she could clearly see on the hill top. The statue of the angel was obvious and, even though she felt as though she had reached the end of a journey, she felt uneasy.

 _‘It’s too easy,’_ she thought, _‘it’s all too easy.’_

She paused for a moment and then continued her stride towards the cemetery while very aware that she was probably being watched. A small stand of trees obscured her for a moment but a short time later she re-emerged to continue the walk up the hill until she reached the ancient metal gate and entered the graveyard. A number of graves that were obviously not old revealed themselves and she stepped forward to examine the first.

“Samuel Carter,” she read, “sorry but I’m not here to see you.”

The next grave belonged to Amanda Billings and she bypassed it as she left that row and walked on to the next newer resting place where she found the name Peter Follings. She walked on along, quite aware that she was no longer alone in stalking prey as she had seen movement among the grave markers and her wand slipped quietly into her hand as she continued her quest. Elizabeth was ready to give up and apparate when she noticed a lone grave farther up the hill and she turned towards it. The figures that she had seen changed course to match hers and she arrived at it the place to see that the grave was open and no casket was in evidence. She paused there to look at the grave marker that already stood a silent guard and read the name that it bore.

**Elizabeth Michelle Blackwell**

A stick snapped under a foot and she looked up to see several people emerging from the darkness of the trees and from behind grave markers.

“Miss Blackwell, how kind it is of you to save us the trouble of having to haul your dead body to your grave,” a voice that seemed familiar but she couldn’t place said. “Instead of doing that all that we have to do is throw your corpse into the grave and then cover it up. Your graciousness is most appreciated. You, your family and your friends have caused us no small amount of trouble.”

“Which is something that I intend to continue doing!” she answered.

“I see that you have your wand, Miss Blackwell, I’m glad because I’m going to enjoy snapping it in half while you watch right before I kill you.”

Elizabeth looked at the cloaked figure in front of her, the one that had stepped forward and was now addressing her.

“If you’re so certain of your victory why do you hide behind the cloak?”

The figure said nothing in response to the challenge, but instead reached up to slip the hood of the cloak back to reveal its face. Elizabeth found herself looking into the eyes of the very woman that she had seen in her vision, the woman that had killed Tiger in that horrific scene.

“You!”

“Very good, Elizabeth, you remember far more than most do. Not that it will do you any good.”

Elizabeth looked around to gauge the threat that she was up against. Counting the witch in front of her there were five in the group that surrounded her and she was quite alone. She clenched the hand that didn’t hold her wand into a fist, something that amused the leader of the group arrayed against her.

“Are you seriously prepared to scrap like a filthy Muggle?”

Elizabeth glanced around again and then, with a sudden, crazy plan in her mind, hurled herself at the person in front of her while at the same time throwing something downward. The Peruvian Instant-Darkness Powder suddenly blanketed the area and the girl felt herself collide with her target as she lashed out with the now free hand and struck the other witch across the face, hard. Afraid of hitting their leader, the others in the dark group withheld their curses and were stunned when the POP of apparation sounded and the darkness faded to reveal their leader on her knees. The witch had a hand clutching at her cheek as she attempted to quench the flow of blood from it. They stepped towards her and the witch looked up at them with hate filled eyes.

“Don’t worry about me, you fools, find her!”

The others in the group vanished and the witch reached down for the wand that she had dropped when the girl had slapped her across the face only to screech in rage when she realized that the wand was gone. Elizabeth Blackwell had not only escaped, but had struck a major blow against her enemy by taking the wand and now being able to reveal the identity of its owner.

“Nooooo!”

Elizabeth reappeared in the very shadows within the village that she had originally entered through. She walked briskly to the church and then stepped into the sanctuary to see the man that she had spoken to looking at her as though she were a ghost.

“Surprised to see me!” she shouted as he dropped the books that he held and fumbled under his own robes for his wand but her spell struck first.

_“Petrificus Totalus!”_

The effect was immediate and she stepped forward to stand over the wizard on the floor and look down at him as she picked up the wand that he had dropped.

“You told them where I was, you can’t deny it even if you could speak right now. It’s okay though because when I leave I’ll release you and then you get to explain to them how I escaped. I doubt that they’ll be as understanding as I am. Have a wonderful day, what’s left of it!”

The wizard watched with horrified eyes as Elizabeth snapped his wand in half and then the girl vanished with a POP. He found himself able to move and was just rising when the group that he had been working with appeared around him. A Muggle passing by was horrified by the screams that emanated from the house of worship and rushed to summon a constable.

Elizabeth reappeared in Diagon Alley and slipped carefully into a quiet shop to examine the wand that she had managed to capture. A strange as it had seemed the plan, hatched in a nanosecond of desperation, had actually worked and now she had an important key in her hands. This wand could reveal who it belonged to and thus who they were facing.

She waited for a long moment and then stepped out of the shop to vanish again with a POP and reappear at home. The trip had not gone as planned and now they were certain to have another unpleasant visit from the dark witches and wizards. She reached into her pocket to draw the wand that she had taken into the daylight.

It was an old wand, gnarled and coated with something that the girl could not even start to identify, although she wasn’t certain that she wanted to. As she looked at it she realized that a line had been drawn and that they had crossed it when they had attacked the home that she stood in. Now she had crossed it and had done incalculable damage to an enemy not to mention placed her entire family at risk. Until she was ready to do something with what she had it needed a safe place to reside and not even the box was safe.

_‘What have I done? Have I called their wrath down on all of those that I love? Or have I seen the beginning of their end? Was my father’s grave somewhere else and I was simply herded to what they thought would be my death? Did I simply miss it?’_

An inspiration grew in her mind as she suddenly realized that she had the perfect spot for the wand at her disposal, a place protected by magic far older than those that she faced. It was far from her home and yet easy for her to get to while being shielded from those who would harm her family and friends. Her enemies would be unable to get to the place and it didn’t require the elves to get involved. She needed to go to Sebastian’s cave once again. The girl rose and hurried to the portrait of the old wizard to find him sleeping again.

Sebastian Trane opened his eyes at the gentle rapping on his portrait’s frame and a smile crossed his face as he saw who had disturbed him.

“My beautiful Star, what is it that I can do for you?”

“Sebastian, I need to go to my library in the box.”

“Very well.”

The portrait swung open and she slipped into the tunnel behind it to see the torches that lined the walls light as she neared them. A few minutes later she stepped into the library and then crossed to Frenwhel’s portrait to find the wizard eyeing her suspiciously.

“Miss Elizabeth, what a pleasure to see you again. What is it that you need this time?”

“I need to go to the cave, Frenwhel. I know that it is difficult, but I truly need it.”

“Very well, but you remember the password I assume.”

“I miss the sunshine.”

The wizard within the portrait bowed and the frame swung aside to allow her entry into the dark realm that the cave had become. She walked swiftly through the space, her wand providing the light that she needed, until she reached the room that had been the laboratory of Sebastian. An ancient chest, the only thing remaining in the cavern, rested against the wall and she walked to it slowly. Sebastian had told her that once an item was placed in the chest it was undetectable and the chest itself could only be found by the person who had placed the item in it. It was very much like the Room of Requirement.

Elizabeth opened the chest and then slipped the wand into it before watching a light blue glow surround the wand. Then the glow and the wand vanished and the girl knew that all had gone as it should. She turned and walked away from the chest knowing that even if the followers of the Dark Lord entered the cavern they would never find the chest and even if they did it would not allow them to find what she had placed in it. It would simply appear to be full of unwanted and discarded junk.

The trip back was short and not many minutes later she was in her library regarding the door that led to her laboratory. She drew her wand and cast a spell that Sebastian had taught her which made the way out of the library unplottable to any but her. The final trip through a portrait took her back to her home and she settled down in a chair while she considered the day.

Far from the home of the girl, the witch that she had defeated and disarmed huddled on the floor of the chamber deep under the floors of Hogwarts. She clutched at her torn cheek with fingers that were covered with the blood that still had not stopped flowing and trembled as a dark figure stood over her.

“You have failed me yet again!”

“No, Master, I have done my best, but the girl is unpredictable.”

“She is a girl! She is not yet through her studies and yet has managed to best you once again. You have become worrisome and undependable. What am I to do with you?”

“Please, Master, I have pledged to serve you and I am doing so…”

“And you allowed a witch not even half your age to disarm you thus putting our plans at risk.”

“Please, Master, give me another chance! I promise not to fail you. Did I not make the Unbreakable Vow willingly?”

“I shall give you one last opportunity to prove yourself, but prove yourself you must for I shall not allow you another chance. Fail again and you may feel that which you escaped at Azkaban, fail again and you shall feel the kiss of the Dementor.”

“Please, Master, do not be so cruel as to punish me in that way.”

“Cruel? Cruel? How dare you call me cruel when I should have dealt with you so long ago for your incompetence! The Blackwell girl is getting very close to being able to learn your identity. She has your wand! Elizabeth Blackwell is no fool and striking now at her friends and family will only accelerate her plans against us. We are, in fact, at a standstill until we determine the best way to defeat her. You, you have brought us low and do not deserve even the smallest amount of mercy.”

“But, Master, I…”

“At least tell me that you managed to eliminate the wizard that sent her to the graveyard, at least tell me that.”

“He will speak to no one, we made certain of that.”

“Our cause is faltering. Many who once were faithful now waver and your lack of progress is feeding the loss of our numbers. Did the girl find the grave of her father?”

“No, Master, she did not.”

“Then she shall continue to hunt for it. This is good because it means that she must expose herself to us once again. When she does I want all involved in her capture for I want her brought to me alive.”

“Alive? But I thought that you…”

“You think too much and act successfully too little. You shall follow my orders and deliver her to me alive or it shall be you facing the kiss.”

“But the Dementors…”

“Reside in these caverns where they have been since they were sent from Azkaban and into exile after the battle at Hogwarts. It has been a long while since they had living company to deal with and I am quite certain that they would relish the chance to claim a soul, regardless of who it belongs to.”

The witch shuddered again and then rose slowly while keeping her eyes averted.

“Go now, and try to make amends for your failure, but do not fail me again.”

“I will not fail you, Master.”

“Good! See that you do not!”

The witch vanished with a POP leaving the dark hooded figure standing alone within the cavern.

“Elizabeth Blackwell, you move ever closer to your destiny and only you can decide what that destiny shall be. Will you choose life and eternal power or death and eternal agony?”

The figure slowly faded away until only the small creatures that crawled through the darkness in search of their next meal remained.


	22. A Terrible Request

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth looks to the future and asks Albus for the impossible while the followers of the Dark Lord prepare for what is to come.

In the days since the attack at the graveyard Elizabeth had felt uneasy and had been quiet, even on Christmas morning while her friends were present. The party at the home had been massive with many of her school friends and their families in attendance. She stood quietly in the dining room, speaking only when spoken to and this quiet worried many. Albus noticed her and walked up to put his arms around her from behind while kissing her gently on the lips as she turned her face to him.

“Hey beautiful, I don’t know where your mind is but why don’t you come back from wherever you are and join the fun, please?”

“Albus?”

“Yes.”

“Do you love me?”

“What sort of question is that? You know that I love you.”

“Then,” she said as tears filled her eyes, “will you do something for me regardless of what I ask?”

“What?”

“Will you do what I ask you to, even if it hurts?”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Albus, you gave me this ring and told me that you love me.”

“Yeah, I remember that and it still holds true, why?”

“Release me from my promise to you.”

Albus recoiled as though struck and looked into the eyes of the girl while tears ran down her face.

“Why would you ask that?”

“Because I may be dead very soon and I don’t want anyone that I love to suffer the same fate.”

“Is there someone else, Elizabeth?”

Elizabeth looked into the eyes of the boy and shook her head slowly as she lowered it to look at the floor.

“I simply don’t want you to get hurt, Albus.”

“I am getting hurt, Beth! What you’re asking me to do is killing me! I love you and have since the first time that I saw you enter the Great Hall. Before that even because I watched you get onto the Hogwarts Express and I knew then that I had found the girl that I wanted to marry. Now you’re asking me to release you from our engagement?”

The sounds of the argument caused a pause in the frivolities and several of those in attendance glanced in the direction of the couple.

“Please Albus, it’s not that I don’t love you, I do, but I can’t stand the thought of you possibly dying because of this stupid situation that I have gotten myself into. The followers of the Dark Lord are going to decide to attack again and I don’t want anyone else to die.”

“I can’t release you, Beth; we’ve been through too much together. I can’t and won’t accept that ring back from you. We made a promise to each other that day by the lake and then again in the Great Hall. I love you Elizabeth Michelle Blackwell and I intend to change that last name to Potter someday soon. I intend to be at your side when you have our children and help you raise them. I want to be with you when we’re old and gray and watching our grandchildren play in the yard outside our home. Don’t ask me to throw away those dreams that we shared in the common room because I won’t.”

“Albus please…”

“No, it’s not happening and I won’t discuss it any further.”

He suddenly reached forward to pull her to him and then kissed her deeply. The girl resisted at first and then put her arms around his neck to kiss him back. They finally parted and looked into each other’s eyes before speaking.

“You’re stuck with that ring and me, Beth. I don’t give a damn about the Dark Lord and am ready to stand by you when you face him.”

“Thank you, Albus.”

“Now," he continued, "there is a ton of Cherry Crisp in that bowl and I can’t eat all of it myself, will you help me?”

Elizabeth looked at the table and was stunned to see a huge bowl of the dessert on it. She nodded as he reached up to wipe the tears from her face.

“The next time that I see you cry had better be when we’re getting married and they’re tears of joy.”

The girl looked up at him again and then smiled as she spoke.

“What do you say to the proposal that we sit down and eat Cherry Crisp until we’re sick?”

“Beth, I love you, but sometimes you can be so mental.”

They kissed again before sitting down to fill plates with the dessert and eating. John and Victoria watched their child and wondered what she was thinking. The request that she had made of the boy had shocked them and, they were certain, everyone else in the home. Elizabeth knew that trouble was coming and it was this knowledge that was throwing a pall over her. Sooner or later, they knew their daughter was going to encounter a situation that she would not survive and they knew that very likely it was going to be a horrific scene. Elizabeth would take a terrible toll on her attackers before she fell, but fall she would.

Elizabeth sat next to Albus as they ate quietly, occasionally laughing at something that was said and Rose watched her cousin and friend sadly. Elizabeth knew that the worst was coming and she had been trying to protect the young wizard that she loved. Her friend had been trying to distance herself from everyone in an effort to protect them and the effort had failed miserably as those she tried to push away rallied around her.

As she watched, Albus reached into the pocket of his robes and slipped at small package out before handing it to Elizabeth.

“You didn’t need to get me anything, Albus.”

“No, I didn’t have to, but I wanted to.”

The girl opened the package as several gathered around to see the gift that she had received. A moment later gasps sounded as the girl opened a box to reveal a beautiful necklace made of brilliant blue crystals.

“Albus, it’s beautiful, but I can’t accept it. It’s too much.”

“You will accept it because I want you to have it.”

“The crystals, they’re beautiful, what are they?”

Chloe answered the question of the girl after recovering from the shock of seeing the necklace.

“The Tears of Forever,” the tiny elf whispered as she fell to her knees.

“Chloe!” Elizabeth shrieked as she rose from the chair that she occupied.

The small elf opened her eyes and looked up at the girl standing over her.

“Miss Elizabeth, the necklace that young Mister Albus has given you is very special. The crystals are called the Tears of Forever and are much revered by my people.”

“They’re Elven?”

“Elven no, but revered by us. They reflect the emotions of the one wearing them. Right now you are at peace and the crystals are blue, but when you are angered they shall be a blood red. Our leader often wears them and they have been blue for many of your millennia. We elves fear the day when they become crimson for it shall be on that day that the elves are at war.”

Elizabeth helped the elf to her feet and then looked at the necklace again before looking at Albus.

“Where did you get it?”

“Of all places I found it in a Muggle shop. It was in something called a resale shop, whatever that means.”

The girl slipped it around her neck and then fastened it before allowing it to hang gently over her chest.

“It’s beautiful,” Lily announced, “and I’m jealous. You never got me anything like that, Albus!”

“You’re my sister, Lily. It would just be totally strange to buy you something like that.”

The group laughed at his response and then the party started anew with Albus insisting that Elizabeth danced with him.

“You have to get some practice in, Elizabeth, because I expect a dance at our wedding.”

“I’m doing fine,” the girl answered as she winced, “but you need the practice so you’re not dancing on my toes.”

“Sorry.”

She kissed him gently as they danced and their parents could only smile as they watched their children. John looked at Harry and nodded his acceptance of his daughter being in the arms of the other wizard’s son.

“I guess that soon he’ll be my son-in-law.”

“And I shall be more than happy to call Elizabeth my daughter-in-law, John.”

“Harry, I know that we had our differences in school and I have regretted them every day since. Can we put them behind us?”

Harry looked at the hand that had been extended to him and then accepted it with a shake before answering.

“I would be more than happy to.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing those two married and the grandchildren that we can bounce on our knees.”

“Me too, John, me too,” Harry answered.

Elizabeth danced for a long while with Albus until Harry stepped forward and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Do you mind, Albus? I would like to cut in and dance with my future daughter-in-law.”

Albus kissed the girl once again and then relinquished her to his father.

“I promise not to dance on your toes, Elizabeth.”

“Your son is rather clumsy, Harry, and I sincerely hope that he gets some practice before our wedding.”

“I’ll see to it.”

Albus watched as his father danced with the girl that would be his wife and stepped closer to her parents.

“Albus, are you okay?”

The young man looked at the mother of the girl that he had just been dancing with and nodded quietly.

“She asked me to release her, you know that don’t you?”

“Yes, we know.”

“I can’t do that. I could never do that, I love her too much.”

A sudden POP announced the arrival of a new attendee and Professor McGonagall stepped into the room a short time after Victoria hurried to meet her. The witches hugged and then walked back to the others in the room. Elizabeth hugged Harry and then broke free to hurry to the new arrival.

“Miss Blackwell, a very Happy Christmas to you, but I am aghast.”

“I’m sorry?”

“To abandon your dance partner to run to my side is bad form and I sincerely hope that your partner is not offended.”

Elizabeth looked over at the recently abandoned Harry and watched as he pretended to be hurt by her departure before grinning at her. The girl hurried to walk away with her mentor while also whispering to her.

“I’m glad that you could come, Professor McGonagall.”

“I got your owl and share your concern. Are you quite certain that the school has been infiltrated?”

“I am very certain.”

“Do you know who it is?”

“Not yet, but I will soon because I have suspects in mind. Just be prepared for me to take some Pain-B-Gone voluntarily.”

The older witch shuddered as the girl spoke and then responded.

“You must be very certain of what you believe to be ready to take that without argument.”

“Professor, do you remember the attack by Koeppler and the Inferi?”

“I shall never forget it.”

“If what I believe is coming does, it will make that look like a minor fight in the corridors.”

“Should I inform the staff?”

“Not yet, right now the one that I am watching doesn’t know that I suspect. But if too many staff members start watching them we lose our advantage.”

“Elizabeth, you are putting yourself in great danger.”

“I have to, for the sake of Hogwarts and the students, I have to.”

“Will the Aurors be brought into this?”

“They already have been. I wasn’t just dancing with Harry," Elizabeth added, "Professor McGonagall, I was filling him in on this.”

“You suspect someone in this house?”

“No, but the less that they know about it the better off they’ll be.”

“Isn’t that putting them in danger?”

“The Aurors are already watching the house and the homes of the others, including you.”

“And Hogwarts, will they be watching the school as well?”

“I’m afraid that you will be seeing a number of new students at mid-term, Professor McGonagall. The Polyjuice that they are taking will keep them looking young and above suspicion.”

“But the increase in number will alert the ones that you suspect.”

“It won’t matter. I’ll know for certain who they are within days. Once that happens and they’re in custody the Aurors can deal with them.”

“I sincerely hope that you know what you are doing and are correct in this.”

“So do I.”

The women hugged each other and the older one felt tears run down her cheeks as she realized that her student was preparing to go into a battle which could claim her life.

They walked back into the living room to see the party in full swing and soon were surrounded by other revelers while the day progressed. Unknown to the others and unseen to all, Aurors had moved into place and now were keeping a close eye on the Blackwell home.

Far from there other forces were at work as the followers of the Dark Lord made their own preparations.

“The Dark Lord wishes the girl alive and I agree,” a wizard announced solemnly. “She shall either acquiesce to our demands or she shall die most horribly.”

“Elizabeth Blackwell will never surrender! I have watched her while at the castle, she feels confident in her abilities and those of the ones that oppose us.”

The others in the room turned to the witch who had finally managed to stop the blood flow from her face and now sported a very nasty scar in place of the gash.

“You cannot say much! She managed to not only mark your face but also take your wand. The girl managed to best not only you but those that you had supreme confidence in. She’s a student and you once were a teacher, you have fallen so far.”

“Be careful in what you say. She may have taken my wand but I have another and am more than capable of bettering the likes of you.”

None of those in the chamber noted the appearance of another and it wasn’t until he spoke that the quarrel ended.

“Enough! We have sufficient problems without you quarreling amongst yourselves like first year students. I come with grave news from our source within the office of Harry Potter. The Aurors have been dispatched to the home of the girl and she is now most untouchable. We can only hope to catch her at the castle.”

“Then I have permission to strike?”

The figure turned to look at the witch with the horrible scar and nodded.

“When you have the chance, when she is alone with you and there are no witnesses, when you are assured of success, you may strike, the Dark Lord has agreed in this. Until that time she must remain convinced that you are a first year student and quite harmless.”

“Then I must remain Patricia Carstairs?”

“Yes, you must maintain your disguise just as I must maintain mine.”

“I will be successful and I promise you that she will die.”

“There must be no other casualties unless it is witnessed. In that instance the witness must also die. We have worked too long and too hard to have another set of eyes see what we have accomplished and inform upon us. Our success shall bring rewards but our failure shall bring pain and death to those responsible for it and I have been granted permission by him to mete out that punishment to any responsible for failure.”

“Does that include your own sibling?”

The figure stepped into the room and advanced incredibly fast until his hand reached out to seize the witch by the throat.

“It especially means you, sister!” he snarled. “It is because of you that he looks down on me as well. You have been incompetent in your dealings with Elizabeth Blackwell and I must be prepared to destroy not only her but you as well should you fail. Our plans cannot and will not be revealed to those who oppose us and I will not permit further disgrace on our family name!”

“Be cautious, brother, or it may be I who destroys you,” the witch answered as she pulled free.

“Our mother should have killed you at birth as a Muggle farmer destroys a useless swine that will never be profitable.”

“I want no further argument,” a voice announced and the pair realized that someone had entered the room as the others present fell to their knees. The siblings turned to see their leader standing in the room and swiftly followed the example presented by the others.

“We waste so much time arguing among ourselves when those who have brought us to this enjoy their lives. The girl is beyond our hope that she shall turn and new information that I have received tells me that she must die. Before she does I want her to witness the deaths of her family and all of those that she loves. I want those deaths to be painful and the Dementors shall help us accomplish this. They shall be unleashed on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as our first strike and then, while they are reeling, we shall strike as Lord Voldemort did long ago but we shall be victorious.”

“The castle shall remain a school, but only for those of magical descent who do not believe in the mixture of Muggle and magical blood. The Muggle world shall tremble beneath our heels and shall exist only to serve us. Those of magical blood who oppose us shall feel our wrath and shall suffer through the deaths of those that they hold dear. We prepare to go to war and there is much to be done, so let us spend our energy preparing for that and ignore our own squabbles lest the Dementors receive early practice.”

As his words echoed, the dark figure vanished and those left behind rose to begin their preparations. The Dark Lord was correct, there was much to do and energy expended on fighting among themselves was energy stolen from their cause.

None of them truly looked forward to being in league with the Dementors and feared what might happen to them if they failed in their assigned tasks. The Dark Lord had been quite clear that any who did not do as they were assigned would have a fateful meeting with one of the former guards of Azkaban Prison. All had seen the nearly lifeless shells that remained after an unfortunate witch or wizard had a losing encounter with the hideous creatures. But they all wanted to see the girl after she was forced to face one of the dark beings. The outcome would not be pleasant for her.

“It will be pleasant to see her without a wand and helpless before the Dementors. I cannot wait to hear her screams of agony,” the scarred witch exclaimed.

“Be certain that you are successful in your assigned task or it shall be you that is wandless while you face the Dementors. If you fail I shall take great pleasure in presenting you to them as a gift.”

The witch glared at the wizard before her until he vanished with a POP and she was left alone to walk back to the dark chamber in which she resided. She reached down to retrieve a wand that lay on the bed and examined it carefully. It was much older than her wand and had also become warped by the use of it to perform dark magic. She ran her hand over the no longer smooth surface and grimaced slightly as a splinter pierced her finger. The witch lifted the hand to gently suck at the damaged finger before speaking to the other occupant of the room.

“Thank you, Mother, for providing me with this wand, it’s simply too bad that you didn’t give it to me willingly. The end result was the same, however, I have the wand and the Dementors received you. Your screams for mercy were amusing, Mother, as was what remained of you after they had finished with their kiss. Too bad you didn’t die before they started taking your soul; it might have been less painful if they had.”

She vanished with a POP not even giving the wasted mewling figure sitting in a chair a second thought. Somehow her mother still lived, although most would not have called what the woman had a life. An old squib entered the room with a bowl of thin soup and started to feed the ruined witch while wondering how life would have been different if her mistress had not come to this and the witch’s children had died at Hogwarts.

The witch appeared outside of Hogsmeade and, grimacing as she did, lifted a vial to her lips to drink the contents. A few minutes later Patricia Carstairs stood in the center of the path and she began to make her way to the inn where she maintained a flat. The barkeep of the Hog’s Head never realized that she was present in the establishment and she soon was in her room to relax on the bed. Advanced Invisibility was good for that, especially when you wanted to be somewhere without anyone knowing it.

“I’m back, Elizabeth, I’m back and this time I intend to punish you. I intend to watch the Dementors remove your soul while you scream for mercy. Then you can spend the rest of your existence like Mother has, sitting in a chair, knowing nothing and waiting for someone to feed you soup that would not satisfy a swine.”

Patricia went to sleep dreaming delicious dreams of revenge and power while Elizabeth sat in her room and stared out into the night. The party was over and very soon she and her friends would return to school. She had a few days to prepare for what was coming and it would not be much longer before the potion that was even now brewing was ready to cool. Once that had happened she intended to determine just who at Hogwarts was pretending to be someone that they weren’t.

She looked down at the necklace that Albus had given her and smiled. The possibility that he would release her from the engagement had been very slim and his answer pleased her. He truly loved her and she hoped that both of them survived what was coming. Koeppler had been dangerous, but this new threat was much worse, these enemies were living and had an objective that was terrifying. They wanted her dead, not only her but also anyone that she cared about and she wasn’t about to let that happen.

Elizabeth lay back on her bed and allowed herself to relax as Tiger jumped up onto the bed next to her. She ran her hand over the fur of the cat and was pleased to feel him purring.

“Tiger, it’s all going to get very bad and I hope that I’m ready for what is coming.”

The purr of the cat never faltered.


	23. A Choice to be Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Break is over and confrontation looms.

Elizabeth entered the laboratory to find that the potion had successfully been finished and now was nearly cool. The smell of lavender filled the air and very soon it would be ready to be cut into pieces. The return to school had been without incident although it had seemed rather odd to see a number of new faces on the train. She alone on the Hogwarts Express knew the true nature of the new arrivals while the other students were under the impression that the children had come from other schools to study at Hogwarts for the remainder of the term.

She was quite certain that the story wouldn’t hold up for long as the followers of the Dark Lord no doubt had ways of learning about the deployment of Aurors to the school. What they likely couldn’t learn about was the fact that a number of officers from America had come to assist and now stood ready to deal with any problem that they were needed for here.

The smell of the Pain-B-Gone had diminished and the Himalayan Flea Dandruff had not produced any lumps in the potion, which had attained the consistency of soup as it cooled. She knew that it would be solid the next time that she saw it and that she could cut it into small pieces for use. Elizabeth glanced at the knife that she would use which was made of pure silver, as none other would work and would likely contaminate the potion. It was submerged in a hot potion that was intended to purify the blade of contaminants. That liquid was even now beginning to cool and the implement would be ready at the same time as the potion that it would cut.

Her examination of the potion complete and the preparations finished, Elizabeth exited the laboratory and hurried to leave the box. It was left in the place where she had concealed it and she made haste to leave the area lest she be observed. Not that finding the box would do anyone else any good, but she didn’t want to have to search the castle for it if it was moved.

A group of first years, several transfigured Aurors among them, looked at her curiously as she exited the Room of Requirement and then hurried on as she fixed them with a glare. She swept on down the corridor as she made her way to the classroom where she would see them very shortly as they resumed classes. Lily rounded a corner ahead of her and Elizabeth could see the boys that had her friend’s attention. She thanked Merlin that it wasn’t the twins and that the offending boys were not Gryffindor. A moment later Lily was busy dressing the students down and the approach of a Teaching Assistant convinced the pair that arguing was not in their best interest. In the end, Elizabeth noted as she walked past, Lily let the boys off with a warning and sent them on their way, much to their relief.

Lily caught up with her friend and the pair talked as they walked on towards their respective destinations.

“You let them off with only a warning, Potter?” Elizabeth said as she did her best imitation of a Malfoy. “I think that you have gotten soft over the holiday break.”

“Do that impression again and you’ll find out how soft I got over break,” the red-head growled.

Elizabeth laughed at her friend’s response and they moved on towards the intersection where they would part. As Elizabeth walked with her friend and listened to what Lily was saying, she paid particular attention to a first year that had more than once gained her notice. The boy was rather surly whenever spoken to, but that was not what had her on edge. As a teaching assistant she had access to the personal information of each child and an examination of the boy’s revealed an address that had proven to be false. This had her convinced that he was the one that she sought, the one that she believed to be something other than what he appeared to be.

The student vanished around a corner and was quickly lost in the crowd while the sixth year girls separated to walk on to their classes. Lily had Muggle Studies to attend while Elizabeth had a second year Transfigurations class to teach. The girl strode swiftly across the courtyard to enter the classroom that was already filling with students. She walked to the head of the room where Professor McGonagall stood waiting silently as she watched the children enter.

“I would say that we have more than a few new students, Miss Blackwell.”

“I had noticed that, thank Merlin that they accepted the explanation today at breakfast. We were fortunate that Harry was able to find enough Aurors who knew a bit about Beauxbatons and can answer questions to satisfy the curious.”

“It does ease my mind knowing that our students and school are being protected.”

Elizabeth nodded and then turned her attention back to the now silent room before speaking.

“I would like to welcome you all back and hope that you had a wonderful break. Unfortunately, it is time to get back to work and that shall start with reading the selection that has been written on the board. You also need to select one of the four questions on the board and write a half page response to it. If you have any questions I will be walking around the room to assist you.”

The rustle of parchments being pulled out of bags and the turning of pages answered her directions and the class was soon busy reading the required text while the young teaching assistant walked around the room. She knew that there were several Aurors in the room and she was grateful for it. They would make useful tools when it came time to try the potion. Elizabeth knew who they were and it would be a fool-proof way to test the potion that even now was cooling.

Finally, as the students settled down to their writing assignment, Elizabeth returned to her own seat to read several passages from her own Transfiguration book. She had to admit that being both a student and a teaching assistant was challenging. Keeping the assignments straight could be confusing, to say the least, and she had to remember to keep her lessons simple for the sake of the younger students in her charge. She reached into her bag and removed her quill to begin writing notes on a piece of parchment that lay waiting for her attention.

Professor McGonagall watched with pride as the teen settled down to work as she thought back to the obviously frightened young girl that she had first met on Hogsmeade Platform. An image of twelve year old Elizabeth was not hard to summon and she was pleased at the transformation that the young woman had made. Most of the uncertain young girl was gone, replaced by a young woman who had her future planned out. Occasionally, the young girl would resurface briefly and have to be corrected, but for the most part she had been banished to the past so that the more mature version could take center stage.

The bells in the tower chimed and Elizabeth’s head snapped up as the children began to prepare to depart for their next class. They had not risen yet when the young witch spoke to them.

“The writing assignment is due at the start of class tomorrow. Failing to complete it satisfactorily may result in a quiz over the material.”

The students hurried to finish their preparations to leave and she watched as they rose to file out of the classroom. Professor McGonagall nodded with approval as the younger witch followed them to the door and then waited patiently as they left and the first years began to enter. Victoria was the first to enter and she smiled brightly at the older girl as she walked past to make her way to her preferred seat. Patricia glared at the teaching assistant as she brushed past Elizabeth to walk to her own place. Her face still hurt terribly where Elizabeth had managed to wound her and she wished nothing but pain for the girl.

Elizabeth ignored the glare and instead smiled at the girl as she welcomed to remainder of the students into the room. The students who had already been in class looked around the room as the new arrivals to the school were seated and then Elizabeth walked to her place at the head of the room.

“Welcome back to class. I hope that you all had a wonderful break, but now it is time to return to our studies. On the board is your reading assignment and I sincerely hope that you, unlike the second years, manage to pay attention to your reading or you shall be sharing their task. There are several questions on the board and, should I feel that you are not doing your best at reading the passages, you may find yourself answering one of them with a half page of writing. I am not going to interrupt you further, but instead am going to give you this time to read and take whatever notes you find necessary because I need to remind you that we will be having an exam over this material in just a few days.”

Victoria’s hand shot into the air and Elizabeth turned to her.

“Victoria?”

“Miss Blackwell, when is the exam?”

“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the exam for your class is going to be on next Tuesday. We shall be going over all of the material for the end of the half term exam. What this means is that you shall be tested over everything that we have discussed in class up until the middle of the term. This is why you were told to keep the old exams that were handed back to you. They are going to be invaluable for you to study in preparation, I’m afraid that if you disposed of them despite my warnings that your exam will not be very easy.”

“What give you the right to test us like that?”

All heads turned towards Patricia and the girl stood at her seat, eyes boring into Elizabeth.

“You heard me, Miss Blackwell, what gives you the right to test us in that manner?”

“Possibly, Miss Carstairs, the fact that I am a sixth year student who also happens to be a former Prefect and now a current Teaching Assistant. I have complete authorization from Professors Leeds and McGonagall to run this class under her supervision and do as I see necessary. There is also the fact that there traditionally is a mid-term exam, so you are not at all being treated unfairly but rather simply following the example of students for many years past. My question to you is how you can dare to question my authority in this room when I am a Teaching Assistant and you are a first year student?”

The room was silent as the antagonists faced each other, neither wavering in the least until Professor McGonagall stepped toward Elizabeth. The younger witch turned to her mentor and then spoke with clear, precise words.

“Professor, I am going to exercise my right as a Teaching Assistant to escort Miss Carstairs to Professor Leeds’ office for extreme insubordination. I will not tolerate her surly attitude or rude comments.”

Minerva McGonagall watched as her teaching assistant walked towards the door and then stopped there before turning back towards the offending student.

“Miss Carstairs are you going to accompany me to the Headmaster’s office or do I need to go alone? If I go alone, I can assure you that I will push for your immediate and irreversible expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I will make it my mission to see you back on the train to King’s Cross before the sun sets tonight!”

Patricia stood stock still for a moment and then, when she realized that Elizabeth was very serious about her threats, reached down to gather her belongings and then stalk to the door to follow the sixth year. Neither said anything as they walked up the stairs and along corridors until they reached the winding stairs that the statue guarded. The pair stepped onto the steps and soon was taking the spiral path to their destination. The short corridor to the office door was swiftly covered and Elizabeth was soon leading Patricia into the large circular rooms where Tobias Leeds sat behind his desk with two empty chairs facing him.

Elizabeth sat down quietly and her student took the other chair while the wizard behind the desk regarded them.

“It is my understanding that you two have a disagreement in progress.”

“The disagreement is this," Elizabeth began, "Professor Leeds; Miss Carstairs has done everything possible in an attempt to not only disrupt my classroom but also to usurp my authority as a Teaching Assistant. She has been consistently rude to me, regardless of my attempts to be fair. This has gone on from the first day of classes and I do not feel it fair that other students have to be respectful when she revels in showing disrespect to me in front of them.”

Tobias Leeds listened intently to the sixth year and then turned his attention to the other student.

“Miss Carstairs, I have received other reports of your non-compliant behavior from staff members. Apparently you seem to feel that you already know all that you need to about witchcraft, something that I hardly think is likely given the fact that you are a first year. Miss Blackwell has complete authority to examine her student’s knowledge of classroom material and nothing gives you the right to challenge that. You have two choices right now, Miss Carstairs, return to class and follow directions or leave this school immediately and permanently. Which path are you going to choose? Make your choice swiftly or I shall ask Miss Blackwell for her decision on this matter. Be assured that if that occurs I will honor her wishes.”

Patricia looked at the girl sitting next to her and scowled inwardly. She had played the defiant card too many times and now the sixth year had the upper hand. If she refused to answer the question she had no doubt what Elizabeth would request, that she be sent out of the school forever. That would weaken them seriously as she doubted very much that her companion would be able to do as he boasted. There was also the fact that she was very convinced that not all of the new students at the school were what they appeared to be. She highly suspected that many of them were Aurors that had been transfigured to appear as children. This turn of events meant that Blackwell and probably many others suspected that the followers of the Dark Lord had infiltrated the castle.

Finally Professor Leeds spoke again and she realized that she had taken an abnormally long period of time to mull things over.

“Miss Carstairs, I doubt very much that Miss Blackwell has an infinite supply of time to sit here and wait for your decision and I certainly do not. I need to know what you have concluded for if you have nothing to add to this conversation I shall ask Miss Blackwell for her input.”

“I’ll behave and do as I am told,” she responded while hanging her head to disguise the expression of disgust on her face.

“Very well, then I expect you to return to class and act as a first year should.”

Tobias Leeds caught the expression of irritation on Elizabeth’s face and then turned to her.

“Miss Blackwell, I would like you to remain after Miss Carstairs leaves. I think that we may have something to discuss given the expression on your face.”

“Yes, Professor Leeds.”

“Miss Carstairs, return to class now and I want no further complaints about you from anyone.”

Patricia rose and then walked out of the office, noting that the door closed solidly behind her. That she was the subject of the ongoing conversation she was certain but there was little that she could do about it. She sighed and then began the long trip back to the Transfiguration classroom while Elizabeth faced Professor Leeds.

“From the expression that you weren’t swift enough to hide, Miss Blackwell, I assume that my decision angered you. I have seen you many times in this very office with students that have wronged you and have heard you plead for them to be allowed to remain. But this time I believe that you actually wanted her expelled. Am I incorrect in this?”

“No, Professor Leeds, you are not.”

“This runs contrary to the Elizabeth Blackwell that I have come to know and respect. What has brought about this change?”

“It’s not her behavior, Professor Leeds; Merlin knows that I have put up with more than she has ever conjured from the Malfoys and Meredith. She can’t even begin to touch what I endured with Professor LeBlanc. It’s her! There is something about her that is not right. She doesn’t feel like a first year because I have seen times in class that it appears as though she deliberately tries to get things wrong. It’s almost as if she struggles at making mistakes. There are other things as well.

“What do you mean?”

“She’s told everyone that she’s a Muggle-born.”

“Which is true, it is a matter of record.”

“But she does things and then says that her parents taught her how to when she is questioned.”

“But if they’re Muggles…”

“Exactly, they wouldn’t know how to do some of the things that I have heard that she does. Many of the other first years are terrified of her for that very reason and some of the older students are uneasy around her.”

“And you?”

“I get a very bad feeling when she is around.”

“Elizabeth, I cannot expel a student because others have a bad feeling about them. Please keep me informed about any further difficulties that you have with her.”

“Yes, Professor Leeds.”

“I understand that you are spending a great deal of time in the Room of Requirement.”

“Yes, sir, I am.”

“Is there any particular reason for this?”

“No, I just want privacy sometimes and it offers me that.”

“I had never thought about that use for it. I might follow your lead and try that sometime.”

Elizabeth returned the smile that he gave her and then rose from the chair to look at the portrait of Severus Snape.

“I heard that he could be very stern in class, almost frightening.”

“Severus Snape was a wonderful man and an excellent teacher once you understood him.”

“I suppose. I wonder how my students will think of me.”

“Fondly, I should think; if you continue down the path that you have been on already.”

“Thank you for your time, Professor Leeds.”

“And thank you for yours, Miss Blackwell.”

Elizabeth walked down the corridor that Patricia had taken a short time before her while she considered her student. Something was very wrong with Patricia and the bad feeling that she had about the child was only getting worse.

_‘Once the potion is done and ready to use I’ll know for certain who you really are, Patricia. If you are who I think that you are I will have no problem with dealing with you. Perhaps it will be time to show you just how well I can duel; especially if I find that you are the one responsible for my nightmare on the Hogwarts Express.'_

The bell in the tower told her that the second class of the day was over and she continued to the classroom to retrieve her belongings. As she entered the courtyard she noticed Patricia walking out of the classroom and moved to intercept her. Patricia stopped in mid-stride as the sixth year stepped in front of her.

“I don’t know what your game is, Patricia, but I’m done playing it. The next time you act up in class or even look at me wrong I will have you out of this school so fast not even an apparating elf could keep up with you, do you understand me?”

“Be careful with your threats, Miss Blackwell, or it may be you out of this school.”

The girl pushed past Elizabeth as she ignored the stares from the other students in the area. As she passed, Elizabeth noticed something that wasn’t right but didn’t respond to it. She walked on to the classroom and retrieved her things while she thought to herself.

_‘Her face was different, there was something about her face that was different, but what?’_

The teen walked out of the room and on towards the class that she needed to attend and, in doing so, passed a portrait that she had always avoided looking at. But this time she stopped and stared with wide eyes at the frightening countenance that gazed back at her.

“Find something interesting in my portrait, Miss Blackwell? You’ve avoided looking at it for several years.”

It finally dawned on the girl what she was looking at and she nodded quietly before walking away. She knew now what she had seen and knew who she was dealing with. All that she needed was the completed potion and she would have all of the proof that she needed.

Patricia walked towards her next class ignoring the chatter around her from students excited about being back with their friends. Blackwell had looked at her strangely and she wondered why. Then again, she noted, a number of people were looking at her strangely and it was beginning to bother her. What were they looking at?

She entered the classroom of Professor Tindwell and took her seat quietly while the aging professor watched the students walk in. This professor didn’t like her either and she didn’t care much about that. She never had cared about the wizard and had more than once wished that she had been assigned to kill him during the sweep by the followers of Voldemort. The witch settled down into her seat and pulled out the quill and parchment that she knew she would need. Writing began to appear on the board behind the wizard at the head of the class and the students began to dutifully copy it. She knew that she had to make an excuse to visit a lavatory as the potion that she was using was going to wear off soon. Already she could feel the clothing that she was wearing becoming tighter and that meant that she was beginning to assume her adult height and that the physical differences between her transfigured appearance and true form would become visible soon.

She hesitantly raised her hand and summoned the professor.

“Miss Carstairs, is there a problem?”

“I’m sorry, Professor Tindwell, but I really need to use the lavatory. I’m not feeling very well.”

Tindwell sighed and then finally nodded his assent. Patricia rose and then hurried out of the room to the privacy of a stall in a girls’ lavatory that was nearby. The potion was soon coursing down her throat and she shuddered as she felt the transformation begin. A few moments later she was an eleven year old girl again and she walked quietly out of the room to make the trip back to class before the professor became angered and reported her.

‘The situation has become tenuous and I cannot afford to be forced to leave the castle. If that were to happen our enemies would gain the upper hand and that cannot be permitted to happen. I must become as compliant as Blackwell is but be prepared to strike. Perhaps her little sister might be of use if the need arises, Victoria Beales-Armstrong would make a wonderful hostage. She might even be a useful shield to take a curse for me if her sister decides to strike. Would you enjoy killing your own little sister, Elizabeth Blackwell?’

She reentered the room and took her place once again to begin copying the notes on the board. Professor Tindwell spoke while they wrote and she was one of several in the room that did not shudder as the wizard spoke.

“We shall begin this potion tomorrow and these notes shall be of incredible importance to you. Failure to follow these notes shall result in an unusable potion and a failing mark for the assignment. Before you leave be certain to stop and pick up the vial of Chinese Fireball toe nail trimmings that you will need. There are enough for everyone in class to have two vials. One toe nail provides a lot of trimmings.”

Patricia nodded to herself as she remembered the potion that called for that particular component. It had few practical applications against an alerted and experienced witch or wizard or even an older student such as Blackwell, but it could be useful against a first year or an older student who wasn’t prepared for its use. Perhaps there was a way to tip the odds further in her favor when she faced Blackwell or one of the Aurors that she was certain now attended classes at Hogwarts. She finished the notes and then sat quietly unaware that Elizabeth had not gone to class and was even now waiting for her in the corridors.

Elizabeth stood quietly in the shadows that Patricia, or whatever her name was, would have to pass as she left Potions class. She needed to see again what she had seen before or if whoever this girl was had managed to correct their error. Missing a class wouldn’t have much impact on her today, her marks were high enough that she really didn’t need to attend it and could use the time to take care of other things that were more important.

The bells began to toll and she slipped further back into the shadows to watch intently for her target. As the door to the room opened she could see the first years stopping to pick up vials from the table next to the exit and her heart sped up as she spotted Patricia in line, waiting for her turn. A minute later the girl was tucking the vials into her pocket and leaving the room, quite oblivious to the fact that she was being watched. She passed the lurking sixth year and Elizabeth nodded quietly as she realized that the error had been corrected. All that needed to happen now was for her to speak to Professor Tindwell to confirm her suspicions. The girl waited for the chattering first years to vanish down the corridor and then slipped into the Potions classroom to find Professor Tindwell muttering to himself.

“Is something wrong, Professor Tindwell?”

The wizard turned at the sound of her voice and then smiled as he saw who stood before him.

“Nothing that you have done, Miss Blackwell, but I fear that I shall never be able to say that about Miss Carstairs.”

“Did she do something wrong?”

“It’s nothing for you to be concerned about. I merely need to speak to Headmaster Leeds about her.”

Panic entered the heart of the girl and she stepped into the path of the professor. He stopped short as she blocked him and glanced at her with an irritation that he had never felt about her before.

“Miss Blackwell, you may very well be extremely talented and a Teaching Assistant, but nothing gives you the right to stop me from doing what I wish to do.”

“Please, Professor Tindwell, I just need to know what she did that has you so irritated. I think that it might very well be an answer to a mystery here at Hogwarts.”

The irritation in the eyes of the professor subsided and he looked at the young witch before him as she asked another question.

“Professor, if you can’t tell me what she did, can you tell me if she left the room during class to go to the lavatory?”

“Yes, that is exactly why I’m angry. They had barely entered the classroom when she suddenly needed to go to the lavatory because she claimed that she didn’t feel well. Abruptly she appeared to be fine when she reentered the room only minutes later, why?”

“Because, Professor Tindwell,” Elizabeth responded, “I don’t believe that she is who she claims to be and tomorrow I will prove it.”

“Can you give me more information?”

“Not yet, but soon I can lay it all out for you and everyone else. Please don’t go to Professor Leeds, he’ll expel her and then I’ll lose my chance to expose her.”

“Very well, Miss Blackwell, I will do as you ask but as I warned you, be very careful in your endeavor. I would hate to see you harmed or worse.”

“The only difference, Professor Tindwell, is that I am ready and she doesn’t know it.”

Elizabeth turned and walked out of the classroom and on to the Great Hall where the mid-day meal would soon be served. Patricia watched her enter and then walk to the Gryffindor table to sit with her friends. Blackwell was suspicious of her, she was certain of that, but the question was if the sixth year knew enough to act on her suspicions. She glanced at her compatriot at the other table and watched as he nodded slightly. His presence was the only thing that made her feel at ease in the chamber and she hoped that he would be able to back her up if things went badly.

Her fingers reached into her pocket to feel the wand that lay there, she grimaced at its touch as she missed the wand that the girl had managed to take from her. Sooner or later the girl would know who that wand belonged to and then the troubles would begin.

Elizabeth talked quietly with her friends as she glanced again at Patricia.

_‘Soon we shall know exactly who you are and if you are the person that I took that wand from. Then the Aurors can deal with you and hopefully send you where you belong.’_


	24. Preparations for the Unthinkable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth and others prepare to confront the forces of the Dark Lord in defense of Hogwarts and its students.

Meredith lay silently in the bed at St. Mungo’s that she had occupied since the attack that had left her in this state. Although she could not speak or let anyone know that she could hear them, she was very aware of what was going on around her and had been stunned when Elizabeth had stepped into her room to console her parents.

Elizabeth Blackwell, the sixth year that she had tormented and ridiculed and made miserable, had put it all aside and come to her hospital room. She couldn’t have known that Meredith could hear her and yet had said words of comfort to the parents of one that had professed hatred towards her on many occasions.

She remembered it all, the cold words spoken about Elizabeth and the other students, especially members of her own family. Could she really hate them that much that she wished them ill will? Had any of them ever done anything that could earn them the fury that she had displayed on so many occasions?

_‘I think that Elizabeth really likes me! After everything that I have done, I think that she actually likes me and isn’t just pretending. If I ever get out of this mess I’m going to be nice to Elizabeth and the others.’_

The healer stepped back into the room that her bed occupied to speak to her obviously weary parents. They sounded so exhausted when they spoke and she wondered how long it would be before she was given up on. Would they just abandon hope and leave her to rot with the other hopeless cases that she had heard about? Abruptly she heard the scrape of chairs on the floor and then the sound of the door to her room opening and closing and then the room was totally silent. Fear filled her mind as she wondered if what she had dreaded had actually occurred.

_‘Have they given up on me? Have they finally decided that I’m not worth sitting by? Are they going to let me rot in this bed?’_

As she lay there, attempting to cry or do something to let them know that she wasn’t dead or something worse than dead, she heard a POP and then a small voice.

“You don’t know me but I’m here to help. A friend of ours said that you might need help such as what was once given to her.”

A strange tasting fluid was suddenly placed into her mouth and she involuntarily swallowed it. A strange sensation suddenly came over her and then the world around her seemed to explode into a kaleidoscope of colors and chaotic images. While she went through this chaos there were sounds and then a terrifying scream of her name and then nothing at all but blackness.

A rush of people entered the room and hurried to attempt to bring the girl out of whatever catastrophe had occurred while her parents stood helplessly by.

Unaware of any of this, Harry sat in his office while he looked at posters of the still missing Death Eaters. Elizabeth believed that some of them were responsible for the problems at Hogwarts and he was inclined to believe her. Because of this he had everyone possible looking into the possible whereabouts of the missing eight. There had been nine until a few hours before when one was caught and captured in Surrey after a fight that had nearly obliterated a Muggle pub. Luckily there had been no deaths and the damage had been easily repaired. The teams that dealt with Obliviating witnesses had done their normal efficient job and the non-magical world was none the wiser about what had happened in their midst.

He glanced up at his deputy as the wizard walked into the room.

“Do you have something?”

“Linfield wasn’t there, Harry, we searched all through that village and found nothing. What made it both easy and hard was the fact that they had some sort of celebration going on. No one paid any attention to strangers in the place and we were able to split up to search, but the crowds worked against us too. If he saw us before we saw him it would have been all too easy for him to slip away.”

“I don’t like the idea of that.”

“I don’t either, he’s a slippery one and it will be hard to track him down again. We left a team in the village to watch for him.”

“I just wish that we knew more about these two. They haven’t been seen or heard from since Hogwarts,” Harry said as he glanced at the next two posters in the stack.

“I thought that they were dead. You mean that they never found the bodies?”

“That’s just it! Some witnesses said that they both had been killed during the battle while others said that they ended up in Azkaban. But the Aurors there don’t have any record of them ever entering the prison, much less spending any time there.”

“But they were at Hogwarts?”

“Yeah, I saw them there,” Harry answered.

“They’re a nasty pair.”

“That they are and I want nothing more than to take them into custody before they hurt someone.”

His deputy leaned over to look at the faces on the posters again. The pictures were old and no doubt the faces had changed with time, all that they could do was hope that they were still recognizable and could be dealt with at last. He turned and walked out of the room as Harry looked at the posters again.

“Where are you?”

He closed the folder on the faces and then slipped it back into the drawer of his desk. Then he looked up just as the poster for the captured Death Eater vanished and the posters rearranged themselves according to the priority of the target. As he looked at the poster of the one that he wanted the most he remembered the words of his friend Neville Longbottom as he explained the scar on his face as they were traveling back to Hogwarts through the tunnel from Aberforth’s home.

_“I got it for refusing to use the Cruciatus on first years!”(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)_

He thought long and hard about that explanation but it was his friend’s revelation about who had given the scar to him that chilled Harry to the bone.

_“It’s the Carrows that you have to look out for! They like to use punishment.”(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)_

He opened the file again to look at the faces that glared back at him and finally realized that very soon the mystery of the whereabouts of Amycus and Alecto Carrow (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) would likely be solved. Harry only hoped that Elizabeth didn’t wind up facing the pair of siblings alone. As formidable as she was, the girl would stand little chance against the dark witch and wizard.

Harry closed the file again and then rose to walk to the office of his friend and former classmate. Hermione glanced up from her desk and knew from the look on his face that Harry had a problem.

“Harry? What is it?”

“Do you feel like going back to school?”

“School?”

“Yeah, I think that we need to.”

“I’ll need a little bit of information, Harry. I can’t just leave my office.”

“You’ll need that and a little bit of PolyJuice Potion.”

The memory of that potion made Hermione blanch as she remembered her first experience with the named potion. The results of taking it had been unexpected and unfortunate and it had been a long time before she had used it again. But she nodded her agreement and rose from her desk to follow her friend.

“Harry, is something wrong at Hogwarts?”

“If what I think is correct, there is quite a bit wrong at Hogwarts and the kids may be in danger.”

Not long after that a pair of children walked up to the gates of Hogwarts and then settled down to wait for the reaction to the owl that had been sent to Professor McGonagall. The pair would finally be admitted and soon were standing in the office of the elderly professor.

“Mister Potter! Miss Granger! Whichever one of you is which, I am certainly glad to see you both. Apparently the situation must be of grave importance for the two of you to be wearing Hogwarts robes again.”

“Professor, it’s the Carrows, I think that they’re back and I think that Elizabeth knows who they are. I think that she’s planning to strike as soon as she is certain who they are.”

Minerva McGonagall’s eyes widened as the names from the past left the lips of the boy that Harry had become.

“We want to get back into the classrooms to give her some more backup if she needs it.”

“But how will you know who she is certain of?”

“We need to speak to her,” Hermione answered, “and we need to do it soon. She must have something in mind and we need to know what it is so that we can help.”

“Well luckily for you two, a pair of Aurors that had been assigned to Hogwarts has been reassigned so we have two identities that you can assume. You’ll be returning to Gryffindor House and I shall inform the staff that we have two late arrivals for their class rosters. No one will be told who you actually are unless you give us the okay to do so.”

“Professor, we definitely need to talk to Elizabeth, it’s vital,” Harry repeated.

Minerva McGonagall nodded and then the trio walked out of the office to join the throng of students that were flooding the corridors at class change. They walked through the corridors, marveling at how large everything looked from their much smaller stature and the actions of their children when they had no knowledge that their parents were around.

“When I get a hold of Hugo he’s going to have some explaining to do,” Hermione muttered as they walked towards Potions class after witnessing the boy bothering a first year girl. “He’ll be trimming and straightening the bristles on our brooms at home for a year.”

Harry watched from a distance as his daughter corrected a pair of Gryffindor boys that were obviously twins and could hear a bit of Lily’s redirection of the students.

“I don’t care how funny you think that it is, using that charm to pin a door shut is against school rules, especially when it’s the doors to lavatory stalls and someone needs to use them. Five points from Gryffindor for each of you. Now get to class!”

Harry and Hermione stood stock still as the girl noticed them and then advanced on them in a hurry.

“Are you two lost or something? Or were you enjoying listening to those two get into trouble? Well, answer me and do it quick!”

“We’re sorry, we’re new here and forgot where the Potions classroom is,” Hermione answered quickly.

The fury in Lily’s face faded and she pointed down a corridor.

“Follow this corridor until you come to the end and then down the stairs, you cannot miss it.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Hermione answered.

“Thank you, Lily,” Harry responded before realizing his mistake and then hurrying on with his friend while Lily looked at them strangely as they receded down the corridor.

“How in the name of Merlin did he know my first name?” she asked herself.

The redhead shook her head and considered following the pair, but instead turned and walked on her way as she hurried to her own class.

Elizabeth sat quietly in class and glanced up as her friend entered the room and settled down in the seat beside her. Professor Grims was busy sending parchments back to their owners and gave Lily a short look as the Prefect walked into the classroom.

“What did I miss?”

“Not much, he’s just really on about the poor marks on that pop quiz he gave the other day.”

“That bad?”

“Over half the class got poor marks.”

“Miss Blackwell, Miss Potter, which night this week do you two chatterboxes choose for your detention for interrupting my class?”

The girls stopped and looked at the nearly red-faced professor as he stood over them.

“I guess tonight,” Elizabeth answered.

“But, Professor Grims, I …”

“Miss Potter, the badge on your robes does not entitle you to special privileges. Which night do you choose or shall I make it two?”

“I’ll do it tonight,” Lily responded to the irritated professor who whirled swiftly at the sound of soft laughter from two Hufflepuff girls who had found it funny that Elizabeth and Lily had gotten detention.

“Miss Parker, Miss Reynolds, you two ladies may join them in detention since you seem to think that it is hilarious that they got into trouble.”

“That’s not fair!” one of the girls answered.

“Miss Reynolds, you have just added a night to your stay in detention! Any further comments from you will result in loss of points for Hufflepuff as well as more time in detention.”

“Yes, Professor Grims.”

While the class examined their parchments, Elizabeth barely glanced at hers. It was nearly perfect with only one flaw and she had time to think about the potion that was ready to cut into small pieces.

‘I’ll know who isn’t who they appear to be at evening meal tonight and, once I do, I’m going to deal with you.’

She turned her attention back to class and soon was busy listening to the lecture on the Dementors. The subject was old hat to her, being a sixth year, but she was apparently one of the very few who had paid attention to the lectures given on the dark creatures the term before. The picture of one of the beings in her text worried her even though it could do no harm to her. Still, she avoided the image whenever she could.

“Miss Blackwell, are you ill?”

She looked up into the concerned eyes of Professor Grims, who had noticed her reaction to the picture from across the classroom, and shook her head.

“No, Professor Grims, it just bothers me to even look at pictures of Dementors. I get this strange feeling in my middle and I just can’t shake it.”

“She’s probably just worried about that detention and how it will look for a Teaching Assistant to get one! Professor McGonagall and Professor Leeds with probably be rather angry with her and maybe take that shiny badge that she loves to flaunt.”

Professor Grims turned incredibly fast for a wizard of his age and turned a withering gaze at Morgan Reynolds, who had made the comment.

“Miss Reynolds, you may leave this classroom right now! I shall be speaking to Professor Leeds about some time in Isolation as well as taking fifteen points from Hufflepuff for your repeated interruptions of my classroom. Take your belongings and go!”

The girl rose and, after gathering her belongings, stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

“And that little display of immaturity shall cost Hufflepuff five more points,” Professor Grims added.

Elizabeth hurried to turn the page to conceal the offending picture and continued reading the assigned pages, shuddering as she did so. She knew that it was going to happen before it did and she rose to rush out of the room for the nearest lavatory while all eyes watched her leave. Lily watched her friend go and then looked up at Professor Grims.

“She gets really nervous sometimes, especially about Dementors. I’ll take her things to her.”

Professor Grims nodded and then returned to his class while Lily glanced back at the door once again. For all of her strengths, Elizabeth was easily disturbed by things that she could not truly control or deal with. The Patronus helped, but the thought of having to actually face a Dementor frightened her far more than any living opponent could.

Elizabeth had managed to reach a lavatory stall in time and knelt there while she was sick. The retching ended and she straightened to catch a whiff of something familiar, PolyJuice Potion! She heard a stall door open and quietly slipped her wand out of her robes as she turned to face the girl that had exited the space that she had.

Auror Margaret Billes stopped short as the girl emerged from the stall with a wand drawn and pointed at her. Reaching for her own wand would be a mistake, she knew that from what she had heard about Elizabeth, and she simply held her hands out to show that they were clear.

“Miss Blackwell, I’m one of the Aurors, my potion was wearing out and I needed another dose.”

“If you’re one of them, what’s the code?”

“Dragon Feathers.”

Elizabeth lowered her wand and the pair stepped towards each other.

“You look terrible, Elizabeth, do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?”

“No, I’ll be fine, just go on back to class.”

“I’ll do that, but you should be aware that there is a new pair of students, a boy and a girl, down in Potions. They started today and, given everything that is going on, they’ll have to be looked into.”

“More Aurors?”

“I guess that it’s possible, but I haven’t heard anything about it.”

“Thanks, now get back to class before Professor Tindwell gets angry.”

Elizabeth watched as the Auror walked out of the room and then stepped back out into the corridor.

“Just who are these two new students? Did you bring in reinforcements, Harry, or are these two here to help the followers of the Dark Lord?”

She walked towards the next place that she could expect to encounter Lily and wasn’t surprised to be handed her things when she met her friend.

“Merlin’s Beard you look terrible,” Lily remarked with concern.

“Thanks for the pick me up,” Elizabeth replied.

“No problem.”

“Did I miss anything important?”

Lily shook her head as she looked at her friend again.

“You really should go to the Hospital Wing. You’re really pale and don’t look like you feel well.”

“If I go there it’s a dose of Pain-B-Gone for this girl and that is something that I can do without.”

Lily shrugged her shoulders and then turned to Elizabeth with a quizzical look on her face.

“Do you know anything about another new pair of students?”

“Yeah,” Elizabeth answered as a frown crossed her face, “I was told by someone that there was a new boy and girl in first year. Why?”

“I kind of encountered them in the corridor and it was really weird.”

“Weird, how?”

“The boy called me by my first name when he thanked me. I know that I have never met them, I’ve never even seen them before, but they were wearing Gryffindor robes so you would think that I should recognize them, wouldn’t you?”

“I guess so,” Elizabeth answered with a confused look on her face.

“You’re about to slip away again, aren’t you?”

“Lily, the potion is ready, I can take it today and then I’ll know who these people are. Then we can bring this to an end once and for all.”

Lily considered what her friend was saying and then finally responded as tears entered her eyes.

“Just be careful, okay Elizabeth, you’re my best friend and the someday mother of my nieces and nephews and I don’t want something bad to happen to you.”

“We don’t either,” a voice interrupted.

The girls turned at the interruption and saw a pair of first years standing before them. Lily’s eyes widened and she looked at the children in front of them before turning back to her friend.

“These are the ones that I was talking about, Elizabeth. He was the one that called me by my first name. How did you know my name and how is it that you’re wearing Gryffindor robes but I don’t recognize you?” she asked as she rounded on the pair again.

“Can we go someplace where we can talk in private?” The male student asked abruptly.

The sixth years nodded and then the group hurried into a vacant classroom where Elizabeth turned to look at her friend.

“I think that I know who they are. Lily, this is your dad and that has to be Rose’s mom. Am I right?”

Lily looked at the pair in astonishment as they nodded and then looked back at her friend.

“How did you know?”

“He just sounded very, I don’t know, Harry-ish.”

Elizabeth watched as her friend hugged her father and then they sat down to talk.

“Elizabeth,” Harry began as soon as the door was secure, “I know that you have something planned. What is it?”

“The potion that I’ve been brewing will help me to see through the disguise of PolyJuice or any other transfiguration. It’s ready and I intend to use it tonight before evening dinner. Why?”

“Elizabeth,” Harry answered as he accepted the posters that Hermione had pulled out of her bag. “I think that these are the people that have infiltrated Hogwarts and are in disguise.”

Elizabeth stepped forward and took the posters from the Auror before gasping as she saw the picture of the witch. She looked at Harry with wide eyes as she trembled and handed the posters to Lily.

“I’ve seen her, Harry. I’ve seen that witch on several occasions. That day in Diagon Alley, the day at the cemetery when I was attacked and in my vision while I was on the train. She’s a Death Eater?”

“Yes, both of them are. They were followers of Voldemort and rather vicious ones at that. They also, at the time that Snape was Headmaster, were professors here at Hogwarts that knew no boundaries of cruelty. They even sanctioned the use of the Cruciatus as punishment for students who ran afoul of them.”

“They’re siblings?

“Amycus and Alecto Carrow. They were thought to have died at Hogwarts or to have been sent to Azkaban, but all trace of them had been lost. We had just about given up hope of finding them until now.”

“Harry, I respect you completely, you have to know that,” Elizabeth answered as her firm gaze continued, “but this doesn’t change anything. I intend to deal with her myself.”

“Elizabeth, if she is here then her brother likely is too. You can probably handle one of them, but you would be overwhelmed by dealing with them both and neither would have any compunction about killing you.”

“That,” the sixth year stated, “is where the potion that I have prepared and a charm that a wise man left for my use will come in very handy.”

“What wise man?” Harry asked as he looked at the young witch that his son loved.

“Headmaster Armando Dippet.”


	25. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth and her allies clash with the followers of the Dark Lord.

They stood in the Room of Requirement while Elizabeth retrieved the box that safeguarded her laboratory. Harry and Hermione glanced around the room as they remembered the terrible fire that had consumed its contents during the battle so many years before, the battle which had nearly claimed their lives. They heard the rustling under the pile of ancient chairs that had been banished to this pile and a moment later the girl emerged to finally rise to her feet. She glanced down at her robes and then made a grimace as she noted the dust that coated the front of it.

“You would think as many times as I have crawled through there that there wouldn’t be any dust left to get on my robes,” Elizabeth exclaimed as she drew her wand and then waved it. A moment later her robes were clean again and she was opening the door to the box so that they could enter.

Harry, Hermione and Lily all looked around in amazement as they entered the outer room of the box and Lily completely understood why her friend often retreated to this place. The girl had turned the room into a very good approximation of a rain forest, complete with a running stream that once had been a glass of water. Sunlight poked through the canopy so far overhead and the sounds of creatures, some not familiar, echoed through the space. Elizabeth allowed them to appreciate her domain for a few moments before beckoning for them to follow her.

They walked on for what seemed like forever, passing the crumbling ruins of some ancient, forgotten temple until they reached a giant tree. Elizabeth stepped around it, vanishing from view, and when they followed her they found nothing. The girl was nowhere to be seen until they heard a giggle and they turned to see a door open behind them.

“Come on in,” Elizabeth welcomed with another giggle.

They stepped through the door and then into the laboratory that the girl maintained. Her visitors gazed with renewed amazement at the wonderful work area of Elizabeth. The things that had been Sebastian’s were arranged much as he had had them and many other items were placed carefully in cabinets around the room in arrangements that echoed those in the office of the Headmaster.

“Welcome to my lab. It’s not much but I like it.”

“Elizabeth, I’ve never seen anything like this,” Harry breathed quietly, “this is incredible. How long did all of this take?”

“I’m still working on it. A little bit now, a little more then, I don’t know that it will ever be finished.”

“You mentioned a potion?”

“Yeah, we’ll get to that. Right now I need you all to come with me to a place where only Sebastian, Frenwhel and I have been. It’s the only place safe for what I have to show you, Harry.”

They followed the girl to Sebastian’s portrait and found the old wizard waiting for them.

“My beautiful Star once told me that you would be coming at some point and now you are here. What is it that you wish, Star?”

“You know where I need to go and I don’t have the time to go the long way.”

“Very well,” the portrait responded as he stepped aside to reveal a door.

The others in the room were surprised to see Elizabeth pull a stool to the frame of the portrait and then use it to climb into the portrait before crossing to the door. Elizabeth turned and beckoned for them to follow. After no little trepidation they climbed into the portrait and soon were next to the girl as she opened a door to reveal a corridor choked with spider webs. It obviously hadn’t been used in a very long time.

Elizabeth stepped into the corridor and they were stunned to see the webs pull aside to allow her to pass. After pausing for a moment, the trio followed the path of the girl as torches lit to allow them to see. Harry drew his wand and attempted to cast _Lumos_ but nothing happened, he looked at Elizabeth with alarm.

“The power of your wand is dampened here, Harry, nothing magical works here anymore except for the thing that we have come to see.”

“But we have to be under the castle…”

“Actually, we are under the lake. Sebastian brought me here after LeBlanc tried to kill me.”

Elizabeth reached another door and opened it to reveal nothing but utter darkness. She walked through into the inky blackness and they followed her, amazed that they were suddenly able to see her easily. She crossed the cavern until she reached a wall and then reached down to a rock, which suddenly revealed itself to be a chest. The lid was soon open and Elizabeth reached into the chest to withdraw the ancient wand which she handed to Harry.

He looked at it for a moment and then at the girl in disbelief.

“This is the wand of Alecto Carrow, how did you get it?”

“She attacked me at a cemetery while I was searching for the grave of my father. I showed her that I knew a few tricks that she had never considered. She lost that wand in the process and I managed to grab it before she could stop me. I knew that would be important at some point. The shield around this cavern prevents her from knowing where it is, but even if she did find the cavern the chest that I’ve been keeping it in has a charm on it to prevent detection. Basically, it’s unplottable and I use it to keep things that others would very much like to have away from them and safe.”

“Elizabeth, this is all of the proof that we need. The Carrows have returned to Hogwarts and that means that the students are in very great danger.”

“Then I guess that it’s a good thing that I prepared the potion that I did.”

“There’s no time like the present to try it out and you have two test subjects in front of you. If you can see us as we should be, then we’ll know that it works,” Hermione stated.

They watched as Elizabeth reclaimed the wand and then placed it back into the chest before closing the lid. Then they hurried back through the passage and out through the portrait to make their way to the laboratory once again.

Elizabeth had poured the potion out into a long flat container and she tested the consistency of the potion, finding it to be set firmly. She drew the silver knife out of the potion that it was bathed in and then cut into the potion that had been readied for this. Several small pieces of the potion were soon lifted out of the container and passed to her friends while Elizabeth looked at her own with hesitance.

“I guess that I should tell you that one of the components of this potion was Pain-B-Gone.”

The others stopped in mid-motion with the pieces of potion nearly ready to pop into their mouths as they looked at her with disbelief.

“Pain-B-Gone?” Hermione asked slowly.

“Yeah, Pain-B-Gone, I thought that I should warn you. It doesn’t smell like it anymore so hopefully it doesn’t taste like it either.”

Elizabeth, not wanting to appear hesitant, took the plunge first and popped her potion into her mouth before chewing it and then swallowing. She shuddered as they watched; a reaction not uncommon to one who had taken the elixir.

The sensation was strange and Elizabeth found that her eyes swam out of focus as she looked at the pair of disguised adults. Then her sight cleared and she saw them as they had always been, but she knew that she had to test it.

“Are you alright, Elizabeth?” Hermione asked.

“Yes, but I have to ask you something, Hermione.”

“Are you wearing your blue earrings?”

“Yes.”

“Harry, do you have a scratch next to your nose?”

“Yes, why?”

“The test worked, I can see you as you should be.”

“I can too,” Lily added as she stepped forward to hug her father and look up at him. “You look like you again, Daddy.”

“What’s your plan, Elizabeth, if I know you there is already one ready in your mind.”

Elizabeth smiled as she looked down at the container of potion and then back at Harry.

“We need to get some of this to as many Aurors and professors as we can. Once we can see who everyone is, we get the students to Sebastian’s cavern through a passageway that Sebastian and I have readied. Once they’re safe then we can deal with the Carrows.”

“They’ll notice that the school is emptying and leave.”

“That’s where I come in. I’m very certain that I know who one of them is and now that I can see truthfully, I’ll be able to pick the other out. I made a deal that will give me some unexpected backup and my ally is ready and willing to do what I asked of him.”

“Who is it?”

“You’ll see,” the girl said as she cut the potion rapidly into small pieces before placing them into bags which she distributed to the others in her group.

“If this goes badly Elizabeth, as the Head of the Office of the Aurors, I’m giving you leeway to use the Unforgivable Curses, because they won’t hesitate to,” Harry whispered as he hugged the girl.

“I hope that that doesn’t become necessary, Harry. I would hate to have that on my conscience.”

“Just the same,” the Auror answered as he looked into the blue eyes that his son loved to.

Elizabeth kissed him gently on the cheek and then turned to hug Lily and then Hermione as they prepared to leave the box.

“I hope that we all can meet back here when this is over.”

The meaning in her sentence was not lost on the others and the group nodded as they watched the girl drop the box that they had just exited into her pocket. Elizabeth looked at her friends and then walked towards the door that exited the Room of Requirement.

“Lily and Hermione, I want you to concentrate on the staff and Prefects,” Harry announced, “you know who they are. Once we know who is in their classrooms have the children directed to the cavern, you know the way.”

“Frenwhel will have the gateway open for the children, Lily,” Elizabeth added.

“I will concentrate on getting the Aurors ready,” Lily’s father continued.

“Which leaves me to seek out the rats in our midst,” Elizabeth finished.

“There may be other Death Eaters here, once the Aurors can see who is who they will concentrate on taking them down.”

“They can have the Death Eaters and Amycus Carrow, but Alecto is mine,” Elizabeth growled, “we have unfinished business that she started in the cemetery and this time it will be just the two of us.”

“Be careful, Elizabeth, she won’t be taken easily.”

“I don’t expect it to be easy on her,” the girl answered grimly, “in fact, I intend for it to be a rather painful experience for her.”

The group separated and went about their tasks, each amazed at the clarity that the potion provided. Harry, Hermione and Lily worked swiftly to distribute the pieces of potion to their targeted allies and very soon those with truthful sight could see that there were a number of swarthy individuals among the children.

Elizabeth stepped into the library where the first years were gathered and noticed several adults among the children. There was no doubt that some were Aurors, she knew their faces, but one face stood out and she looked at Alecto Carrow as she truly appeared and noted with satisfaction the wound that the witch still bore on her cheek.

The young Teaching Assistant walked slowly around the room and wasn’t surprised when she saw Amycus Carrow sitting at the end of one of the rows of bookcases near a window. He looked up at her with undisguised contempt, certain that his expression had gone unnoticed and his identity was hidden. A young first year approached her and asked her a swift question about the upcoming exam, something that Elizabeth was grateful for because it gave her a reason to linger and glance around the room while she listened to the child. Several Aurors were scattered around the room and she found it rather interesting to see adults somehow crammed into student robes. Still their presence soothed her and she finally managed to step out of the room, but not before calling several students out into the corridor. Once she was out of the view of the pair, she swiftly handed each of them some of the potion pieces.

“This will help you see everything that should be and not what our enemies want us to see. There are two Death Eaters in the library right now!”

“Who are they?” one of the Aurors asked as he swallowed what he had been handed and then blinked as he looked around at his companions.

Elizabeth smiled as she watched their reactions and then answered the question.

“Amycus and Alecto Carrow, when the time comes you can do what you want with him, but she’s mine to deal with! Don’t get between us when it starts.”

The Aurors nodded and then walked back into the room, doing their best to look as if they had been scolded soundly by the sixth year, before settling down at their seats. A swift glance around the room had shown each of them the Death Eaters among them and each readied themselves for any confrontation that might occur while also trying to look like first year students who were nervous about the upcoming exam.

Lily stepped into the Transfigurations classroom to speak softly with Professor McGonagall after scanning the room for anyone who didn’t belong in the school. Already she had seen several rather unsavory characters in the corridors and had done her best to avoid alerting them to the fact that they had been noticed.

“Professor McGonagall, I need you to take your students on a field trip of sorts.”

“Field trip? What in the name of Merlin are you talking about, Miss Potter?”

“Professor, it’s starting and we want to get as many students out of harm’s way as we can,” Lily answered as she handed the professor the piece of potion that she carried. “It will help you see who is who they appear to be and who is not. You’re in for an eye opening experience once you take it.”

Minerva McGonagall swallowed the item that she had been handed and then turned to speak to her class, blinking with surprise as she realized just how many Aurors were in the room.

“Students, we are going on a bit of an adventure. Miss Potter will be pulling some of you aside as you pass her. Please do as she asks or it shall be twenty points from your House for each transgressor.”

“Do we need to take our things?”

“Yes, gather your things,” Lily interrupted before the professor could speak. “We want the room ready for the next class should you not be back in time.”

The students rose and, after gathering their belongings, filed out of the room. Lily stopped several and, after closing the door behind the final student, spoke.

“You each need to take one of these,” she announced as she handed out the potion.”

“What is it, Lily?”

“It will help you see who you are dealing with just the same as I do, Morrison.”

The Auror blinked with surprise as she said his name and then swallowed the potion before blinking again and looking around the room at his colleagues.

afe“Brilliant! I can see all of us as I should.”

“We are clearing students out of the castle and sending them to a safe place because Hogwarts isn’t safe right now and we don’t want to take a chance of a hostage situation.”

“That bad?”

“Yeah, it’s that bad. Spread out and be ready for anything because I’ve seen several intruders in the castle. Deal with them quietly and carefully, especially if there are children around.”

The groups scattered to begin their assigned tasks and Lily made her way from room to room and Prefect to Prefect while Hermione did the same.

Elizabeth stepped out into a corridor just in time to see a rather filthy witch walk into a girls’ lavatory. She walked into the room after the woman and was pretending to wash her hands when the witch exited a stall and approached the sink.

“Good Morning, Miss Blackwell.”

“Good Morning to you, Abigail, are you ready for the exam in class?”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for that. It sounds really hard.”

The witch seethed inside as the Teaching Assistant spoke to her and failed to notice the wand that Elizabeth had already drawn. She started to walk away from the sinks and was nearly to the door when Elizabeth spoke.

“Abigail, haven’t you forgotten something?”

“What?” the witch answered as she turned back to Elizabeth with disgust on her face, disgust that turned to alarm as she saw the wand for the first time.

“ _Petrificus Totalus!_ ”

Elizabeth watched as her target seemed to snap to attention and then fall face forward onto the stone floor.

“That!” Elizabeth answered as she looked at her victim and then stepped over her after casting a permanency spell on the witch. The sixth year reached down to take the wand from the fallen witch and then tucked it into her pocket before tucking the stiff form into a stall and locking the door behind her. Then the girl stepped out of the room and back into the corridor.

‘ _One dirt bag down, several to go,’_ she thought grimly as she walked away remembering a Muggle term used in one of the books that she had read.

Room after room emptied as the word was spread and one after the other several members of the Dark Lord’s force were eliminated. Amycus Carrow realized that something was going on when one of the Aurors stepped up to him and shoved a wand into his back. Harry Potter snarled as he spoke to the stunned Death Eater as the man felt the wand press against his spine.

“Amycus Carrow, you may not recognize me but I’m Harry Potter and you’re under arrest. You’re not going to slither away like you did the last time,” the Auror announced as he fished the wand out of the pocket of his captive and then answered the astounded wizard’s question before they both vanished with a POP.

“But how is this possible?”

“You underestimated someone that has suspected you all along.”

“Blackwell!”

“She really is quite an amazing witch, isn’t she?”

The man nodded as Harry and he vanished from the room.

Tobias Leeds watched intently as his charges left the castle through the portrait. He had also been given some of the potion and stood a stalwart guard to prevent any of the followers of their enemy from joining the children. As he watched, a dirty wizard in the line attempted to push his way to the front of the queue and suddenly drew his wand when he was told to get back into line.

“Don’t you tell me to get back into line,” he screamed as the wand began to clear his robes.

Children screamed as the man doubled over after being struck several times by attacks from all sides and then fell to the ground unmoving. Tobias Leeds stepped forward to claim the wand that had been dropped and then snap it in half.

“They should have taken your wand and done this a long time ago, Calverson.”

Tobias Leeds dropped the shattered wand and then watched as several Aurors stepped forward to take the prisoner and then vanish with him.

Patricia/Alecto stepped into the classroom that she needed to be in and was stunned to see Elizabeth sitting behind the desk.

“Miss Blackwell, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, just waiting for you, Patricia.”

The witch looked around the room and realized that they were alone.

“You’re waiting for me?”

“Yes, Patricia, I’m waiting for you. Or should I call you Alecto?”

“Alecto? Why would you call me that?” the witch asked as the hair rose on the back of her neck and Elizabeth rose from behind the desk to reveal the wand that was already drawn.

“That’s your name, isn’t it, Alecto Carrow? I knew that something was wrong from the outset but I couldn’t put my finger on it until the day in the graveyard when I injured you and took your wand. Then I saw you when your potion was starting to wear off and saw the wound on your cheek. Then there was the fact that you would tell the first years things that didn’t add up, like your Muggle parents teaching you how to do magic that a first year couldn’t possibly know. You did it all to yourself, Alecto, so why don’t you take the antidote and let me see who I’m about to beat in a duel because I’m tired of your stupid disguise.”

The sixth year watched with fascination as the witch nodded and then drew a small vial out of her pocket before drinking the contents. A moment later the small girl had vanished and the older witch stood in her place.

“Satisfied, Elizabeth Blackwell?”

“Very.”

“Good, because at least now you get to see who is about to kill you.”

“Possibly, but I don’t think so. You’re alone, Alecto, the Aurors are arresting those who came with you and, from what I understand; your brother is already in custody. This was a trap, Alecto, and all of you walked into it like little children walking into the den of a lion. The shield over the school has been strengthened so there is no chance of you apparating out of here.”

“Then I guess that I shall just have to kill you and walk out of here, which was my plan anyway.”

Alecto suddenly lunged as the wand was drawn from her robe and she sent a curse towards the younger woman, a curse which was deflected to crash among several vials that stood along one wall, releasing a miasma of stench that filled the room. Elizabeth wrinkled her nose at the smell and then cast her own curse at her opponent, catching Alecto unprepared and hurling her backwards against the wall. Alecto sent her own counter back at the girl and Elizabeth felt the searing pain in her side as the energy ripped through her robes. She staggered and went to her knees as she attempted to retain the grip on her wand while Alecto advanced on her with the wand at the ready.

“Let’s see how you like the _Cruciatus_ , Miss Blackwell!”

“No you don’t, you leave Bizzy Lizzy alone!” a scream echoed through the room as Peeves sprang to the attack as he hurled several Dung Bombs at the dark witch and Elizabeth hurled some of the Instant Darkness Powder downward.

Unprepared from an attack from two directions and now the sudden darkness, Alecto staggered backwards to fumble for the door, or at least some place where she could see what was happening. The curse which struck her hard told her exactly where her opponent was coming from. The witch fell backwards as she tried to prepare for the attack from the thoroughly enraged sixth year. Elizabeth, safely on the other side of the darkness, had the time that she needed to recover from the injury that she had sustained and then advance on her adversary. The dark witch hurled attack after attack through the darkness although she had no idea where the girl was.

A rattle of glass announced the passage of someone and she rose to her feet while she screamed in triumph.

“Prepare to die, Elizabeth Blackwell!”

She hurled a curse in the direction of the noise and heard the explosion as well as a short scream. Then she heard the sound of a body falling to the floor and she moved forward, ignoring the attacks of the poltergeist who hurled dung bomb after dung bomb at her. She advanced through the clearing smoke and saw the girl lying on the ground staring up at her with fear; a wand lay shattered on the floor next to the child.

“I’m going to kill you now, Elizabeth Blackwell; I’m going to kill you for all of the trouble that you have created for us. I’m going to kill you for all of the pathetic attempts at teaching that I had to endure from you. I’m going to kill you for the pain that you caused me and the wand that you stole from me in the graveyard. But before you die, Elizabeth, know that I am going to kill your entire family, especially your traitor grandfather, slowly and painfully. It’s just too bad that you wouldn’t come over to our way of thinking.”

She raised the wand and cast the curse just as a derisive grin crossed the face of her victim an instant before there was the crash of breaking glass and the corrosive potion washed over her extended hand. The image of the fallen Elizabeth vanished and the vanquished witch looked up in terrified amazement as the girl stepped out from behind the desk holding a mirror, the very one that she had purchased in Diagon Alley.

“I told you that you wouldn’t kill me, Alecto,” Elizabeth breathed as she stepped towards her opponent and raised her own, very intact, wand. “You know, Harry Potter gave me permission to use the Unforgivable Curses if I encountered you, but I have a much better idea because I don’t want you dead, I want you imprisoned forever.”

“Then you’ll never know the truth about anything because my secret will go with me.”

“There is nothing that you know that could possibly interest me.”

“Not even the true identity of our Dark Lord and the fate of your father?”

Elizabeth paused at this and then looked at the witch as hatred grew within her.

“Tell me what you know if you want to live to see another day.”

“No, I think that I would prefer to die and let you wonder for the rest of your days just what really happened to Marcus Beales-Armstrong, the wizard who’s blood flows in your veins. Do you really want to know what lies in your past, present and possibly your future? Do you think that the mind in that pretty blonde head of yours can handle what I know? Or would your world come crashing down in ruins just like the tower of Gabriel Koeppler?”

“Tell me what you’re rambling about and you might live.”

“No, I think that I just want you to think about the possibilities.”

There might have been more but Elizabeth, pushed beyond reason, cast a curse that she had never considered using before that moment.

“ _Crucio!_ ”

The waves of energy, fueled by the hatred that Elizabeth was feeling, washed over the witch again and again as the girl watched the Death Eater writhe in agony before her. Alecto Carrow felt in those long moments what her many victims had felt and she could hear the screams that she was emitting as the girl standing over her continued the assault. The pain stopped as Elizabeth changed her strategy and cast another of the forbidden curses.

“ _Imperio!_ ”

Alecto, at the wave of the wand of the girl, rose to her feet and then lurched forward to stand facing a stone wall. She suddenly felt the urge to run into it at full speed and slammed into the barrier hard. The witch crumpled to the ground and then lay there as the _Cruciatus_ struck her once again, causing her to shriek in agony.

When it finally ended, in seconds that seemed like hours, Elizabeth stood over the defeated dark witch and looked down at Alecto Carrow. Blood coursed from the broken nose down into the mouth of the woman and she looked up at the witch that stood poised to destroy her.

“I’m not going to let the Aurors have you, Alecto, because I’m going to destroy you myself. Tell me what you know and I might make it less painful. Tell me who the Dark Lord is and what happened to my father!”

Alecto Carrow, knowing that her life was about to end, smiled sardonically and then looked up at the girl who stood over her before speaking chilling words.

“ _The Dark Lord is Marcus Beales-Armstrong, your father, Elizabeth Blackwell!_ ”

“You lie!” Elizabeth screamed.

“Think about it, Elizabeth,” Alecto said as she reached slowly for the wand that lay near her. “He vanished and has not been seen since. He didn’t die! He didn’t want to be found, just as he didn’t want you to know because he found out how pitiful a whelp you are. The powerful Elizabeth Blackwell was a disgrace in his eyes and he is ashamed to call you his daughter. You were tossed aside and only the grace of John Blackwell saved you from being known as the bastard child that you are. You mean nothing to the Dark Lord for you shall never come even remotely close to being his successor!”

Elizabeth lowered her face as tears filled her eyes and the truth came back to strike her full force. She was the spawn of a wizard that had killed many and caused more to suffer, she was just as bad as he was.

Alecto, seeing and seizing the moment, lunged for the wand that she had dropped just as Elizabeth raised her own wand and screamed the final curse.

“ _Lapis Vescendum Carnes!_ ”

Alecto Carrow’s fingers actually touched the wand and were starting to curl around it as the curse enveloped her. The attempt to raise the wand at the girl failed as her mind shut down and her flesh turned to stone. Moments later only a stone figure remained where one of the final Death Eaters of Voldemort's ranks had been.

Elizabeth stood silently as she looked down at the figure and then she raised her wand again as rage filled her.

_“Reducto!”_

The figure that had been Alecto Carrow exploded into thousands of pieces to scatter around the classroom as Elizabeth sank to her knees clutching at the bleeding wound in her side. While she knelt there she gazed at the spot where the witch had died and whimpered out her pain before Peeves soared out of the room to seek help for the young witch that he had come to respect.


	26. I Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth comes to terms with her past.

Aided by the potion that Elizabeth had produced, the Aurors swept through the castle and soon had many of the followers of the Dark Lord had been arrested. Caught unaware, the dark witches and wizards were easy targets and without the guidance of the siblings, they had no one to lead them.

Peeves, often known as a troublemaker, became a hero when he alerted Harry to Elizabeth’s plight and the girl was soon being transported to St. Mungo’s for treatment while Professor Tindwell tried to make sense of his devastated classroom. The students returned to the castle unharmed but rather amazed after the sights in the cavern where they had been hidden to prevent harm.

Elizabeth woke to find an unexpected visitor standing next to her bed and shook her head to try to clear it.

“Meredith?”

“Hi, Elizabeth, I’m glad that you’re feeling better.”

“But, how…”

“The elves, Elizabeth, your friend Chloe told them about me and they helped me. They gave me the same potion that they gave you and now I’m better.”

“I’m glad.”

“I still don’t know what happened to me, but at least I feel okay now.”

Elizabeth smiled at the younger girl before grimacing with pain.

“I’m really sorry for everything that I’ve done to you and know that you’re only trying to help me learn. I also know that you came into my hospital room to visit and be kind to my parents when you didn’t need to. I feel so terrible about all of the mean things that I’ve done to you and was just wondering if we could be friends.”

“I would like nothing more,” the sixth year answered after recovering from the shock of the request.

They turned their heads as the healer walked into the room, followed by a nurse who carried a very familiar bottle. Meredith stepped forward to kiss Elizabeth on the cheek and then hurried from the room to rejoin her parents as they prepared to leave the hospital. Elizabeth looked warily at the bottle as the liquid was poured into the glass that waited for it.

“Here you go, young lady,” the healer announced as the shuddering girl accepted the glass from the nurse. “I understand that you used some of this in your potion so taking it full strength shouldn’t be a problem.”

The girl in the bed sighed as her parents and grandparents entered the room and then tipped the glass’ contents into her mouth. She swallowed willingly and then handed the glass back to the nurse.

“Well, that was a shock,” Victoria said to the group, “I’ve never seen her take that so easily.”

She stepped forward to kiss her daughter gently and could see that there was something very wrong in her child’s eyes. The blue eyes were troubled and had none of the sparkle that they normally held. Something had happened at the castle which was still affecting the young woman and she wondered what it was. She could see the eyelids becoming heavy and was preparing to follow her husband and parents out of the room when Elizabeth spoke.

“I know.”

Victoria turned and looked at her child as the eyes closed and wondered about the statement that the girl had made. What did she know, or had it been an effect of the stress of the battle with the Death Eater combined with the elixir that she had just swallowed? Elizabeth sagged into the bed and soon was fast asleep while her mind warded off assaults from outside as rage grew in the chamber under the castle.

The tall hooded figure stood at the front of the chamber that was noticeably less filled than it had been. They had lost many in the assault on the castle, including the Carrows. This fact worried the wizard at the head of the room because Amycus, unlike his now petrified sister, was far less stalwart when facing questioning and far more likely to surrender what he knew. Alecto would have held off until death before revealing anything that she knew and that made her loss extremely painful.

“My Lord, the losses are finally tallied. We lost twenty four in the castle, many of whom are now in Auror custody. Harry Potter will spare no effort to learn what they know and this places us in jeopardy. Our numbers are not sufficient to withstand an assault when the Aurors determine the location of this place.”

The wizard that had spoken, his information relayed, bowed to his master and then backed away to return to the place that he had come from.

“The girl, Elizabeth Blackwell, is she yielding to our efforts to probe her mind?”

“No, my Lord, she has erected formidable defenses that we have not yet been able to breach. The last attempt to probe her thoughts with Legilimency left Zacharias severely ill and unable to function, perhaps forever. She has bolstered her barriers and even swept his mind with her own. He shall be unable to assist us for a long while.”

“Did she learn anything from him?”

“No, my Lord, she did not. What she did do was to send him a message to relay to you.”

“A message? What message did she send?”

“Two words, my Lord, the message was comprised of two words and they are frightening.”

“What words could she have used to have frightened you? What was her message?”

The wizard at his side paused, took a deep breath and then spoke while keeping his eyes averted from the face of his master.

“I know.”

“That is it? Those words frighten you?”

“We believe that they may mean a great deal, especially for you, my Lord. We believe that she may have determined your identity after dueling with and defeating Alecto Carrow.”

A screech of rage filled the room as the true meaning of what was being said filtered into the mind of the wizard. All present in the room bowed deeply as torrents of hate splashed out from the hands of the figure before them to impact the walls, ceiling and anyone unfortunate enough to get in the way.

“Where is she?”

“St. Mungos, under heavy Auror guard and it is impossible to breach that barrier. Our follower there was found out and even now resides in Auror Headquarters. What makes this worse is that Harry Potter is now in possession of the wands of the Carrows as well as the others that were taken at Hogwarts. The Aurors and Department of Magical Law Enforcement under Granger-Weasley and the Ministry of Magic are going to spare no effort to learn all that they can from the wands of those captured. They will determine the location of this gathering and storm it when they are ready. We must leave this place, my Lord, or face the wrath of the Aurors.”

“How have we fallen this far to allow this to happen? How is it that I am surrounded by incompetents that cannot deal with a girl? How is it that we now fear discovery by the Aurors and Harry Potter? We shall leave, but we shall not retreat, instead we shall gather our forces wherever they may be and then we shall strike again and not stop until Hogwarts is a hopeless pile of rubble and every last man, woman and child is dead.”

“And Elizabeth Blackwell, what shall become of her?”

“I shall kill her myself and leave her body for all to file past and see as they surrender.”

“Then we leave now?”

“We leave now. Abandon the squibs and the hopeless to the Dementors and death. We do not need the burden that they represent.”

Those present watched as the figure before them vanished and then they too vanished leaving the cavern to echo with the screams of the doomed as the Dementors were unleashed to do as they wished. They swept through the caverns, striking at will, unhindered by the pleas for mercy and prayers for rescue. What remained afterward were beings scarcely capable of being called human and easy prey for the creatures that called the eternal night their home. The foul creatures then left the caverns to make their way to the place where they knew that their master expected them to be. When the Aurors did arrive they found only the shattered remains of lives and bodies.

Elizabeth awakened several hours later and looked around the room that she was staying in. The pain in her side was gone and she shifted her gown to examine her flank for damage. Only healed flesh remained and she rearranged the clothing to conceal her modesty before looking around the room again. An empty glass and a pitcher of water stood on a stand across the room and she slid out of bed to walk to it. She had just reached it when the Healer stepped back into the room in time to steady the still wobbly girl.

“What are you doing out of bed, young lady?”

“I was thirsty, it was here and I couldn’t reach it without getting out of bed.”

“Why didn’t you call for someone or use your wand to bring it to you?”

The girl shrugged and then looked at the Healer before answering.

“I wanted to try it the Muggle way.”

“Muggles use something called a call button to let someone know that they need something.”

“This was more interesting.”

“What would have been interesting would have been if you had fallen and needed to stay longer to repair broken bones.”

“But I didn’t fall.”

“Elizabeth, you didn’t look very steady when I walked into the room. You’re still really weak and I want you to stay in bed to rest. All that I have to do is to look at you to tell that you don’t feel well, you’re incredibly pale.”

“I’m okay.”

“I’m the Healer and I’m telling you to go back to bed before I order more Pain-B-Gone. Besides, I want to look at that side of yours and can’t do it if you’re standing up.”

“Can I have a drink of water first?”

“I’ll make a deal with you. If you go back to bed I will personally bring you the glass and pitcher of water. Is it a deal?”

Elizabeth nodded slowly and, with the help of the wizard, walked back to the bed before getting back into it and sliding under the blanket. The Healer handed her the glass of water and then retrieved the pitcher to place it on the stand next to her bed.

“Now,” he queried as he looked at his patient, “can I look at that side of yours?”

Elizabeth took a sip of water from the glass and then nodded. The Healer pulled her gown aside to examine the repaired flesh over the ribs of the girl. He nodded with satisfaction and then looked up at her while she watched curiously.

“That looks much better, Elizabeth.”

“Does that mean that I get to go home soon?” the girl asked hopefully as her eyes lit up at the news.

“It means that probably one more night here and then I might consider sending you home. That is, as long as I don’t walk in and find you wandering around your room while you’re still as weak as you are. Elizabeth, that was no ordinary wound, it was caused by a curse that was intended to kill you. We’ve only now gotten ahead of the effects of it. I need you to regain your strength before I’ll even consider sending you home and there is no way around that. Now, I’m going to leave but I’ll send your family and friends in, you have quite a large group waiting to see you.”

“Is Albus Potter out there?”

The Healer caught her sudden interest and smiled as he nodded.

“Yes, he’s out there and pacing like a caged dragon.”

The girl smiled and then settled back into her bed as the wizard left the room. Moments later her friends swarmed into the room, followed by her family. Albus stepped up to the side of the bed and then kissed her gently before looking up at her parents.

“Sorry, but I needed to do that.”

“No apologies necessary, Albus,” Victoria answered as she looked at the young wizard that had captured her daughter’s heart.

“The Healer says that I have to stay another night before he’ll even think of letting me out of here,” the girl in the bed grumbled.

“I agree with him,” John said as he stepped forward to run his fingers through her fair hair. “You’re still very pale and look like you’re still weak.”

“But I have to get back to school.”

“School came to you,” Lily announced as she held out several books and pieces of parchment as well as a satchel. “There are more in this bag.”

Lily caught the look in the eyes of her friend and grinned before speaking again.

“Don’t you know to be careful what you ask for?”

Elizabeth looked the stack that she had been handed over and then smiled. At least she could keep her mind busy, as if it weren’t already busy enough. The girl had a lot on her mind, the revelation that Alecto Carrow had shared as well as the near constant probing of the defenses that she had erected to protect her thoughts. She had fought back on one occasion and knew that she had likely caused no small amount of damage to the Legilimens that she had encountered. The other person had struggled to break the connection while she firmly held onto it to do some digging of her own into their mind.

What she had found had been very disappointing and she had been forced to amuse herself by leaving a message and scrambling the thoughts of the one who called himself Zacharias. He had likely ended up with a severe headache not to mention nausea after she had given him a taste of his own medicine.

The information that had eluded her angered her and she had been tempted to make another incursion, although she didn’t see the need. The one that she had made contact with had obviously possessed little in the way of usable information and likely was very low in the hierarchy of her opponents.

‘ _At least I gave them something to think about_ ,’ she thought to herself as she recalled the probe that had been rather disastrous for the wizard.

“Is something wrong, Honey?” Victoria asked her child as she noticed the frown on the girl’s face.

“No, I was just thinking about all of this.”

“I’ve never seen you concerned about work before.”

“I’m not concerned, Mom. I just want to get back to school soon.”

“Elizabeth, before you went to sleep earlier you said something really rather strange and I wondered what you meant by it.”

The girl looked at her mother with a furrowed brow and a cocked head.

“What do you mean? What did I say?”

“Two words, you said only two words and they made me wonder what you were talking about.”

“But what did I say?”

“It’s probably nothing, you’ve been through a lot, just forget that I mentioned it.”

“Mom, what did I say?” Elizabeth continued, an edge building in her voice.

“I know.”

“What did I say?”

“I know, that’s what you said, those two words.”

Elizabeth looked at her mother strangely as she realized that she had spoken aloud a message that revealed that which had been told her by Alecto Carrow. She still wasn’t totally certain what to believe, the witch had known that she was about to die and had nothing to lose by either lying or telling the painful truth. It was both confusing and terrifying at the same time. Could her father really be the Dark Lord? Could everything that she knew about him be lies? Or had she been told the truth? Was he the brutal killer that had been revealed in her vision?

“I really don’t remember saying that, Mom.”

Victoria smiled and reached out to run her hand over the girl’s hair.

“I wondered if it hadn’t been a combination of the Pain-B-Gone and the trauma from the fight at Hogwarts. You still look really tired, Elizabeth, why don’t you forget about these books for now and try to get more sleep.”

“I don’t want to go to sleep. I have all of this to do,” Elizabeth answered as she indicated the books, “and I feel like an invalid lying in this bed. They don’t even want me to get out of bed to get a drink of water.”

“They just want what’s best for you.”

The teen shrugged her shoulders and then pushed the books and parchments aside as she slid farther under the covers. Victoria gathered the items and placed them onto the stand next to the bed before stepping aside to allow others to get closer to the girl. Rose, Lily and Beatrice each hurried to give their friend a quick kiss on the cheek before exiting the room and the girl’s grandparents followed their example. John stepped forward to hug his child and then ruffle her hair before delivering a kiss to her forehead.

“You get some more sleep.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

Victoria kissed her daughter as well and then joined her husband as they prepared to leave the room. Albus remained by Elizabeth’s side as he sat on a stool next to the bed.

“I want to stay with her until she goes to sleep.”

“Please do, Albus,” John answered before he and his wife left the room. Elizabeth looked up at the wizard that she intended to marry and smiled. He looked down at her with a shocked expression and realized that she wasn’t as tired as she had appeared to be.

“You cheat!”

The blue eyes of the girl sparkled with merriment and she grinned mischievously at the boy.

“You weren’t as tired as you made out, were you?”

“Got me alone with you, didn’t it?”

The boy smiled as he realized what the girl had intended and then leaned down to press his lips against hers while her arms came up to go around his neck and pull him closer. The couple didn’t see her parents watching through the window and Victoria turned to her husband as they walked away.

“I told you that she wasn’t as tired as she let on. Right now he’s the best medicine for her.”

They passed Harry and Ginny, who had come to visit the girl, and stopped to speak to the other couple.

“Is she awake?” Ginny asked.

“Albus is in there right now.”

Ginny realized what Victoria was saying and then posed another question.

“Snogging?”

“Hopefully they come up for air once in a while, otherwise it’s a good thing that they’re in a hospital,” Victoria answered.

The couples laughed as they thought about it and then walked on towards the small room where Artemis and Amanda as well as the children waited. Lily and Rose hurried to the new arrivals and were swiftly hugged.

“Did you see Elizabeth?” Lily asked her parents.

“I doubt it,” Rose interrupted, “you know Albus and Elizabeth, lips pasted together like they’ve had a Sticking Charm put on them.”

The girls giggled as they sat back down to talk the adults.

“Lily?” Victoria asked, “has Elizabeth said anything to you about what happened with Alecto Carrow?”

“Only that it was a fight unlike anything she had ever experienced before. She said something about a mirror saving her life, but I have never seen a mirror in that classroom. Why, Mrs. Blackwell?”

“Something happened, and I would very much like to know what it was. She’s not the same now as she was before.”

“Victoria, I kind of expected this,” Harry cut in, “Elizabeth took part in a duel where someone was permanently petrified. I know that she has seen things like this before, but this time it was more personal. It was just her and Alecto, so I expected something like this to happen. I have an Auror who deals with things like this and would like Elizabeth to see her. It should help her a lot.”

Victoria looked at her old schoolmate and nodded as she wiped her eyes.

“Anything that we can do to help her we will, Harry.”

While the adults talked Elizabeth and Albus were having a conversation of their own.

“Albus, you know, I’ve really always envied you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your parents, you know who they are.”

“But you know who your parents are, even if he’s your kind of adopted father.”

“Yeah, he helped raise me and gave me his last name, but I’m talking about my real father.”

“I thought that he was dead.”

“I did too, but now I’m not so certain.”

“Beth, what’s going on? What are you talking about? Did you find out something?”

Elizabeth Blackwell looked into the suddenly wary eyes of the boy that she loved and then spoke words that chilled him to the bone.

“I know something that could change everything.”


	27. Elizabeth's Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth continues her preparations to face the Dark Lord, quite aware that her attempts to save the school and its students might cost her much.

Elizabeth reentered the Transfiguration classroom several days later feeling very much like she didn’t belong there. Although the children were familiar there were the empty seats that had been occupied by Alecto and her brother. The missing Amycus didn’t bother her as much as the vacancy left by Alecto, the witch that she had personally and willfully petrified at the end of the duel.

Although the Wizengamot had cleared her of any wrongdoing and had overlooked her use of two of the Unforgivable Curses she felt odd, changed even. The hallways were full as always but now students tended to steer away from her, they steered away from her because they knew what she had done and this frightened some of them. Now, as she stepped to the front of the room to present to the class, she wondered if she truly still belonged where she was.

“Class, I need you to open your books to the next chapter and read the first three pages before we begin discussion of the coming transfiguration.”

The children opened their books and began to read and she was nearly ready to begin to believe that it was all in her imagination when she noticed a note being passed.

“Is it something that you wish to share with the class, Mister Brown, or just with me?” she announced as she strode towards the boy that had passed off the note.

“No, Miss Blackwell.”

“Well, if it is important enough to disrupt the learning of another I would assume that it is important enough for the professor or teaching assistant to know about it. Give it to me please.”

“I don’t want to.”

Elizabeth paused at the comment and then rallied to speak again.

“Mister Brown, give me the note or I shall take ten points from your House.”

The boy shook his head as she advanced on him and seemed to almost shrink when she drew her wand. Around the room she noticed the same response from many of the children and then looked down at the hand that had drawn the wand. It was the same as always but now seemed to appear much different to the students in the room. The boy was almost trembling as he stared at the wand that suddenly waved and the sixth year spoke.

“ _Accio Note!_ ”

The piece of parchment left the hand of the recipient and flew to hers as the boy who had passed it whimpered in terror. He watched with wide eyes as she slipped her wand back into her robes and then unfolded the note to read what had been written on it.

**BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU DO IN CLASS BECAUSE MISS BLACKWELL MIGHT DRAW HER WAND AND PETRIFY YOU LIKE SHE DID PATRICIA!**

The boy that had written the note stifled a cry as she examined the note and then looked up at him with what he mistook as anger. Then she dropped the note and rushed out of the classroom with tears flowing down her face as Professor McGonagall stepped forward to retrieve the note, examine it and then fix the author with a steely gaze before taking twenty points from Ravenclaw.

Elizabeth walked down the corridors until she found her way to the base of the stairs that led to the office of Tobias Leeds. The gargoyle at the bottom stopped her and then spoke in the voice that she still hadn’t quite gotten used to.

“What is the reason for your visit, Elizabeth Blackwell?”

“I need to see Headmaster Leeds.”

“You may pass.”

The spiral stairs seemed to crawl by and she finally stood at the top of them before walking to the door that had already opened for her. Shaking already, she stepped into the room and then walked to the chair that had appeared in front of the desk. Tobias Leeds sat behind his desk as he looked at a very different Elizabeth Blackwell then had ever appeared before him. Instead of the very confident girl that he was accustomed to, the young woman before him looked defeated. He had seen her uneasy in the past but now she looked crushed.

“Miss Blackwell, I’m not going to ask you if something is wrong because I can read it in your face and the way that you are carrying yourself. I also happen to be in possession of the note that was passed by the student in the class that you walked out of.”

“I’m not certain that I can go back to that class.”

“Miss Blackwell, the actions of one…”

“The actions of one student don’t bother me, Professor Leeds, but the reaction from an entire school that I worked to protect have gotten to me. I walk through the corridors that I love and find myself being treated like a murderer because everyone thinks that I killed a child. Alecto Carrow was no child; I would barely call her a person because she was a monster.”

“The Aurors thought it best to hide the true nature of what happened here. Revealing the fact that several Death Eaters had managed to breach our defenses would have been disastrous for Hogwarts and the Ministry…”

“And allowing parents and students to believe that I killed a child is not disastrous to me?” Elizabeth screamed as anger spilled out of her. “People avoid me, Professor Leeds, people who have known me since I started school here at Hogwarts! They treat me like a pariah because everyone knows that I used the Unforgivable Curses against Alecto and that I got away with it. Somehow that knowledge got out, but it got translated into the story that I used them against a little girl!”

“Miss Blackwell…”

“NO! I’m tired of being Elizabeth Blackwell! I’m tired of being Miss Blackwell! I’m tired of being the one who is dependable and easy to take advantage of because I’ll run to someone’s defense and plead their case even after they spit on me! I’ve had it, Professor Leeds, I’ve had it with solving everyone else’s problems while my own go unattended. I saved this school from a near catastrophe by brewing that potion and letting people see who they were dealing with and this is how I am thanked.”

“Elizabeth, I apologize for the treatment that you are receiving and will do what I can to correct it, but it may take time. Until the Aurors complete their investigation I am afraid that the true nature of the situation must remain clouded.”

“And I am supposed to be okay with being the sacrificial lamb?”

“No, Elizabeth, you are not.”

“That’s right, Professor Leeds, I am not. Until further notice I shall not be performing my duties as Teaching Assistant, now if that means that I lose that post so be it. I will not be used as the “bad person” for all to look at and hate. My marks are good enough that I could leave school for the term right now and still pass with excellent scores.”

“Elizabeth…”

“NO! I’VE HAD IT UP TO HERE!” the girl screamed as she held her hand up to neck level. “UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE I’M DONE! DON’T LOOK FOR ME IN THE CORRIDORS, THE GREAT HALL OR ANY CLASSROOM BECAUSE YOU WON’T FIND ME!”

“Then I assume that you are going to do the immature thing and go into hiding again. Something that is not very becoming of a Teaching Assistant, something that you did earlier this term, something that I warned you was not acceptable.”

“How dare you?” she snarled as she faced the wizard behind the desk. “All that I have ever done is to do what I could to help here at Hogwarts and now even you turn on me! When someone else needs time to sort things out it’s fine, when Elizabeth Blackwell needs the same thing it’s immature! What is it called when you need some time to sort things out? A sabbatical?”

“Be careful, Elizabeth, you are walking a very fine line.”

“To Hell with your fine line! I’m finished with this conversation and don’t try to stop me from leaving.”

The girl rose and walked towards the door, only stopping when Tobias Leeds spoke softly.

“Elizabeth, please reconsider what you are doing. If you walk out of this office right now you may be finished here at Hogwarts.”

“And that is supposed to bother me?” Elizabeth answered without turning around.

“I hope so, Elizabeth. For what it is worth, I respect you highly, you have shown unwavering dedication to this school and its students and I would hate to see you leave on these terms.”

“What am I supposed to do, Professor Leeds? I can’t look into the faces of so many who believe that I killed a small girl after subjecting her to the _Cruciatus_. If they continue to believe that I shall never be accepted in our world again and yet that appears to be what is in store for me.”

“Be patient, Elizabeth, be patient and allow the Aurors to do what they must. They will clear your name in time.”

“And until then? Right now children are terrified of me, they’re afraid that I am going to kill them for doing something wrong in class. Soon parents will demand my permanent expulsion from Hogwarts and my trial before the Wizengamot, _for defending the school!_ ”

“They are working as fast as they can.”

“I’m sorry, Professor Leeds, but that isn’t good enough.”

“Elizabeth,” he responded softly, “what if there was a way for you to remain here to continue your education?”

“I would love it, but I don’t see it happening.”

“I understand that you have an incredible place to explore within the box that you got from Professor Grims and Sebastian Trane.”

“Yes.”

“Then retreat there, Elizabeth, continue to learn, while the staff of Hogwarts and I work to do everything that we can for you.”

“You would do that?” Elizabeth asked incredulously.

“Yes, Elizabeth, I would do that. In time, what you truly were forced to do will be revealed and then all will become clear to our world.”

“And I will not be expelled?”

“You will not be expelled, I promise you that.”

“Then I shall retreat to my refuge and have the elves send my belongings there.”

“That seems most sensible.”

“If you will excuse me I have preparations for my departure to make.”

“By all means do so, Elizabeth.”

“Thank you, Professor Leeds.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth.”

Tobias Leeds watched as the girl walked out of the office and then looked down at the parchment on his desk which had arrived by owl only minutes before the girl had. Elizabeth had been very correct when she had stated that parents would want her expelled from school. The list of names that had signed the petition demanding her expulsion was formidable and would require delicate handling. He was going against the letter of the petition by allowing her to stay, albeit in hiding, at Hogwarts. She would have to stay in seclusion until the situation was resolved and he was more than willing to let her, even though he faced removal by the governors of the school if what he had done for her was found out.

Elizabeth walked to the Room of Requirement to find the box right where she had left it. It was swiftly moved to her pocket and she walked down the stairs, ignoring all that she passed, until she reached Frenwhel’s portrait. It opened silently and then she stepped through into the passage that had been used to hide the children. Frenwhel looked at her as she turned to him.

“Frenwhel, this is very important, I need this particular passage sealed except for my use.”

“I understand.”

The girl exited the passage inside the cavern and then turned to watch it seal itself. Reaching into her pocket she withdrew the box and then opened the door to step inside. She swiftly made her way to the room where she would sleep and found her things, including Tiger, waiting for her. Freed from his cage, the cat was soon gathered into her arms and she hugged him tightly as she thought about what had happened in the classroom and the office so far above. They were willing to sacrifice her to allow them to save face and there was nothing that she could do about it.

“Tiger, I guess that it’s just you and me now. Get used to your new home because we’re going to be here for a while. At least we can explore the rainforest or go home if we want.”

She freed her pet to allow him to explore the surroundings while she hurried to put her things away. It didn’t take long and she was soon settling back on the bed to read the text book that had belonged to Armando Dippet.

_‘When I meet him, I’m going to be ready for the Dark Lord. My father or not, I’m going to make him wish that he had never heard the name Elizabeth Michelle Blackwell.’_

It did not take long for her absence to be noticed, especially when she did not appear in the Great Hall for the mid-day meal. While she may have been absent in body she was present in everyone’s mind and the rumor swiftly spread around the school.

ELIZABETH BLACKWELL HAD BEEN EXPELLED!

Excited chatter had flooded the corridors and now that excitement had overflowed into the Great Hall. Those who had disliked the girl were overjoyed while those whose parents had signed the petition were swift to notify those adults. The friends of the girl were stunned and those who couldn’t believe the rumors finally believed them when the news got out that her things were gone from her dorm.

The faces of the staff told even the staunchest supporters the sad truth, the girl was gone from the school and likely wouldn’t return. Minerva McGonagall sat quietly at her place at the High Table while she gazed forlornly at the Gryffindor table and the empty space where the girl had always been seated. Lily Potter and Beatrice Campbell sat alone, their faces blank as the forced absence of their friend weighed heavily on them. As the professor watched, Lily put her head down and was obviously sobbing, the shaking of her shoulders and the fact that Beatrice was trying to comfort her sad evidence of that fact. Lily, who could take the overheard remarks no longer, finally rose and rushed out of the room, her shouted response to the jeers unheard over the din in the chamber. Beatrice followed her friend and soon was lost to sight while the hateful comments followed her.

Unable to take the comments that she was hearing any longer, the aging professor finally rose and walked out of the room, leaving stunned students to watch as the points of their Houses decreased rapidly. Professor Leeds rose to step up to his lectern and raised his wand to his throat to shout out a call for silence. When the noise was at a manageable level, he spoke firmly to the gathered students.

“The conversations that have been carried on concerning Miss Blackwell are to be curtailed. Students who persist in the line of talk that has been overheard will be suspended pending expulsion based on the level of noncompliance. At this time all students need to move on to their next class while I speak with the Prefects. Any misbehavior at this time shall be dealt with harshly.”

He was about to turn away to return to the High Table when a nameless voice screamed out a comment and the girl rose to identify herself.

“Professor Leeds, do I take it to mean that you are actually defending Blackwell? She used the Unforgivable Curses on a first year student and then killed her. A lot of people saw Patricia walk into that classroom and now she’s gone and everyone has heard that Blackwell was in there with her when it happened. What sort of headmaster are you?”

“Miss Fenning, Miss Blackwell has been dealt with as she is no longer at the school. The Wizengamot deals with anything beyond what I have done and so that is no longer my concern. What is my concern is the severe nature of the conversations that I have overheard about Miss Blackwell. While I applaud your attempt to stand up for what you believe is right, I can assure you that if you are a part of the problem I will not hesitate to solve it. As to what happened in that classroom, I know that Miss Carstairs went into that room and did not come out, I also know that Miss Blackwell went into that room and there was a tragic situation in which someone lost their life. However, no one truly knows what truly happened, not even Miss Blackwell, because the situation apparently unfolded very swiftly and is confusing to all.”

“But you’re defending her, Professor Leeds.”

“I defend her just as I would defend anyone that is a student here, regardless of what happened in their situation.”

The girl looked at him strangely and he realized that she had anticipated his wrath and was surprised that she hadn’t. She slowly sat back down and talked quietly with her friends as they prepared to get up to return to class.

“As we have finished with the conversation I need all of you to return to class.”

The students rose and, with much hushed conversation, filed out of the room and back into the corridors to make their way to class. They would find the classrooms held to a strict standard as professors kept the rumors to a minimum via threat of point loss or detention. Those who wanted to speak about it the most found themselves disappointed as the professors kept them under rein.

Lily and Beatrice sat in the Gryffindor Common Room while Lily cried and her friend tried to comfort her. They knew that their friend’s things were gone as they had seen it for themselves, the bed clothes had been stripped from the mattress and the cupboards emptied. No sign of the girl remained, not even a scrap of parchment with her name on it.

“I can’t believe that they expelled her, Beatrice. She did everything that she could to save all of us here and they thanked her by throwing her out of school.”

“It doesn’t make sense to me either, Lily; we both know what she was making and why she made it. There has to be more to the story that they aren’t telling us.”

“Beatrice, there are things about what happened that they don’t want our world to know.”

Beatrice looked at her friend, stunned by what Lily was saying. Had it truly been as bad as it seemed that it might have been?

“Lily, did Elizabeth really do what they say that she did to Patricia?”

Lily nodded silently and then looked up at her friend with an intensity that Beatrice had never seen before.

“Beatrice, Patricia wasn’t who or what she appeared to be. There are things that Elizabeth told me that I can’t repeat, but I can tell you that Patricia was really dangerous and there were other people here that were the same way. Elizabeth found about it and did all that she could to warn others without the dark witches and wizards learning about it. She risked her life because they would have killed her if they had found out. They actually tried to kill her on a couple of occasions, remember the attack at her home at Christmas?”

“Yeah.”

“It was some of those people who attacked us here at Hogwarts. They want to kill Elizabeth and her family for some reason.”

“Why would they want to do that?”

“Who knows, they just want her and her family dead. I know that I want her back because I miss her so much already.”

“Are we certain that she’ll ever come back?”

“I’m not certain of anything anymore, Beatrice, not even how safe we are here at Hogwarts and now that Elizabeth is gone I feel even more in danger.”

While her friends talked, Elizabeth sat quietly in her library while she examined several ancient volumes and reams of parchment for answers to her problem. As dangerous as he had been, Gabriel Koeppler was also a source of valuable information. She had taken enough notes of his work to provide a formidable response to anything that they tried. The young woman looked up from what she was reading to think about the school that she had been forced to leave.

_‘Father, if you are what she said you are I’m going to enjoy facing you and defeating you. You made a real mistake by starting what you did and I intend to finish it. I’m going to make you wish that you hadn’t sired me because you have cost me too much to ever forget about it and I’ll make certain that you never forget the thrashing that I’m going to subject you to.’_

She laid the quill down and then spoke aloud while Tiger whirled like a top as he played with his toy.

“You can count on it, Father!”


	28. Creeping Losses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still reeling from their losses at Hogwarts, the forces of the Dark Lord now face a determined assault from Elizabeth.

Meredith sat in class while Professor McGonagall presented them with the latest of tasks and the girl could not help but glance at the place where the desk for a teaching assistant sat vacant. She had stunned many when she refused to join in on the great amount of fun that those who hated Elizabeth had been having. The girl had ignored the hatred sent in the sixth year Gryffindor’s direction and had actually defended her former adversary.

The girl had reappeared in the Great Hall, much to the surprise of many, the day after Elizabeth had vanished. Most refused to believe the tale that she told, the tale about the elves saving her and Blackwell coming to her bedside at St. Mungo’s to offer comfort to her parents. Since then, Meredith had endured the spite of many who hated her now that she defended the now absent young witch and was considering a change in her school life. She intended to approach Professor Leeds to request a change of Houses because being a Slytherin no longer appealed to her.

She listened intently to what the professor was saying and realized that the class that she had often thought little of was actually very interesting and, if one paid attention, very easy to get high marks in. As a result of her change of mind concerning Transfiguration she was experiencing something that she had never experienced before, success.

_‘So this is why Elizabeth was always saying that I could have excellent marks, she saw what I could do if I just tried and paid attention. She was only trying to help me and I treated her the way that I did. I was such a fool and I wish that I could tell her again that I am so sorry.’_

The girl wiped a tear away from her eye and then went back to her concentration on what was being taught, unaware that the object of her thoughts was thinking about her as well. Elizabeth sat quietly in her library while she considered what would be going on if she were at Hogwarts. She had loved being a Teaching Assistant as well as the thought of someday being a professor but now doubted that future highly. Unless the Aurors managed to clear her name she knew that she would never be able to assume the post that she coveted nor would she and Albus have a future for she knew that he had too much to lose by being with her. He had refused her request to release her from her promise at Christmas, but now would be forced to do so or ruin his life as well.

While she sat in the chair that she occupied she thought about what she had learned. The Aurors had swept in and seized what had obviously been the center of the power of the Dark Lord deep in the caverns under Hogwarts. The results had been disappointing however as they had found only empty caves and dead bodies. It was obvious that the complex had been abandoned in advance of their arrival and that the infirm had been left behind to their fate. Harry Potter had led the assault and had expected losses to his force only to be surprised when there was no resistance at all. No arrests, no prisoners and very little usable information had come from the raid.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, had gathered an extensive dossier on her opponent and knew that there was one person who might know more than had been previously revealed. She had a plan in mind and the plan had involved Harry Potter. He alone could get her the access that she needed to a prisoner at Azkaban and had agreed to provide her with it, on the condition that she could never reveal what he had done. She had assured him that he had nothing to worry about and now waited for the PolyJuice Potion to finish brewing. A hair from an unsuspecting Muggle and the approval of the Office of the Aurors would get her into the prison; she would have to do the rest herself.

“I’m going on the offensive again, Father, and every time that I do I get a little closer to finding you.”

She thought back to the day in the graveyard when she had been ambushed by Alecto and the others. It had all been planned somehow because the man that she had met in the church could not possibly have done everything on his own. This meant that she had to cast her net broadly because none of the Dark Lord’s followers could be allowed to escape to continue his work. She glanced once again at the wand that she had taken from one of the Dark Lord’s accomplices, the man now residing in the room within the box where magic other than hers had no effect. He hung suspended, in a sort of sleep, unaffected by time, hunger, thirst or other life-threatening conditions. She had appeared where he hadn’t expected her and had been easy prey for the angered witch. An instant after she had appeared in front of him he had been stunned and then whisked away, while her presence had never even registered.

The wand had taught her much, including who was making replacement wands for those lost by the dark witches and wizards. As a result, this wizard had earned himself a visit from her and she planned to make it soon. Eventually, she knew; the Dark Lord would become aware of the creeping losses and then send someone to investigate them which would be the beginning of his undoing. Whoever was sent would return to their place of origin unaware that their movements were being tracked by the girl.

She rose from the chair and then into the lab where a small amount of PolyJuice waited for her. The wand maker, Alexsander Berbatov, had her attention and needed to be spoken to. All that she could hope for was that his shop would be empty except for him and that she wasn’t interrupted in the process. She dropped the hair that she had taken from an old Muggle woman into the potion and then tipped the flask up to drink. Fighting the gag reflex, she turned to the mirror to watch as she transformed into a duplicate of the woman. Old robes waited for her and she hurried to change into them, knowing that she had only a limited time before another dose would be needed, before vanishing through Sebastian’s portrait to emerge in her home and then vanish with a POP.

The small decrepit village near Paramun had seen better days and in fact was even more lost than Paramun itself. The few people that she saw paid no attention to her, probably assuming that she was merely another lost soul that had wandered into their midst. She could see a structure that was obviously a pub and could hear the laughter from within. An old man sat forgotten next to the building, watching any passerby that he could see, obviously desperately hungry and hoping for any handout that came his way. This tugged at her heart and she reached into her pockets to withdraw a piece of bread that had appeared there. She approached the man and then smiled at him before handing him the food. He looked up at his benefactor with incredulous eyes and then nodded his thanks before she turned and walked away.

There were desperately few shops in the village and what she sought was not hard to find for her, but would have been impossible to locate for a Muggle. A sign invisible to them, but quite clear for her announced the shop of Berbatov and the light in the window told her that she was in the right place. She pushed the door open and then stepped into the shop, her nose wrinkling at the stink in the place as the shopkeeper stepped out to greet her.

“Can I help you, Madame?” the short, obese and balding wizard asked.

“You are Berbatov?”

”Why, yes, of course!”

“I am here about a wand.”

“Then you have come to the right place, I have many wands for sale here.”

“Do you sell many? I have never heard of you before now. But that is what I require, a wand that none can trace.”

The man’s face became suspicious as he regarded her before speaking.

“I do not understand your request. Why do you wish a wand that no one can trace?”

“Harry Potter!”

“You were at Hogwarts?”

“No, but they nearly took me near the Ministry of Magic. I lost my wand there and now I need another! Can you help me or not for I have no time to waste.”

“Why did you not go back to where you bought it at first?”

“Because the Aurors would have been waiting for me there, Harry Potter is no fool and neither am I!”

“I don’t know…”

“This is a waste of my time! Will you sell me a wand or not?”

The tinkling of the bell above the door announced the arrival of another customer and she ignored the wizard that stepped into the shop while keeping her mind set on what was needed. Berbatov looked at the new arrival and nodded politely, a fact that was not lost on the girl as she sensed that the wand maker knew exactly who she was.

“Tell me, Madame, you know Harry Potter, do you also know Elizabeth Blackwell?”

She saw the flash of a wand being drawn to her left and spun out of the way while drawing her own wand and sending a charm at the wall that was filled with wand boxes. The wizard was suddenly assailed by a rain of boxes that showered down on him before she turned her wand on Berbatov, who was fumbling for his own wand.

“ _Stupefy!_ ”

The short, fat wizard was hurled backwards to crash into his workbench and then lay there stunned while she turned her attention back to the wizard that she still faced. The beggar from the street had managed to get clear of the boxes that were pummeling him and glared at her with undisguised rage.

“The Dark Lord will reward me greatly for bringing him your head, Elizabeth Blackwell.”

The wand in his hand suddenly exploded as the curse from it and the one from hers met at its’ tip. He was hurled backwards to crash into the pile of boxes and wands and lunged for a wand that was in easy reach. Elizabeth remembered what Ollivander had always said and knew that one couldn’t simply pick up any wand at hand and expect it to always accept their use of it. The sudden bright red glow of the wand and the agonized howl of the wizard told her exactly what was going to happen after the man had screamed his spell.

_“Incendio!”_

She hurled herself out of the way and seized the robes of the wand maker just before vanishing with a POP and the shop exploded into flames that nothing could escape. She appeared back at her home, still clutching the robes of her captive, before slipping back through the portrait and dragging the man into the room where she could speak to him once he regained consciousness.

The battle in the wand shop was sure to gain attention because she had no doubt that there were followers of her opponent in the village. It was obvious that the beggar had simply been a sentry keeping watch for her and that he had made the mistake of underestimating her, a mistake that had proven fatal. A moan from her captive, who now hung suspended like her other captive, told her that he was beginning to awaken and she looked at him sharply as his eyes opened.

The wizard tried to move, to pull his arms up from his sides but nothing worked and his eyes went wide as he realized that he had been correct. He was facing Elizabeth Blackwell.

“Berbatov, you made a huge mistake by helping the Dark Lord. Now your shop is cinders, there’s a dead body in the wreckage and you’re gone without a trace, just what do you think that they’re going to believe. Only the two of you saw me and he’s dead, so you’ll be the one under suspicion. What does the Dark Lord do to those who kill his faithful? I’m certain that it’s not pleasant and very certain that it’s agonizing considering he probably makes it a slow process when he kills a prisoner that has betrayed him.”

“I have killed and betrayed no one, Blackwell! He will believe that of me.”

“Really? Then why are you trembling?”

“I am not trembling, you are mistaken.”

“You know," she snarled, "I’ve already been thrown out of Hogwarts so what I’m going to do next won’t get me into any more trouble than I am already in.”

The man gasped as he saw the wand that she had taken from his robes as she placed it on a table next to her.

“It’s going to make a wonderful addition to my collection, right alongside his. The time of the Dark Lord is going to come to an end very soon, I’m going to make certain of it.”

“You do not frighten me, Blackwell.”

“Oh, you’re not frightened to be in the presence of the daughter of the Dark Lord.”

“You lie!”

“You know that he has a daughter, don’t you?”

“Yes, she is a small child.”

“Then he never told you about the other daughter that he sired, did he?”

She caught the flicker of consternation in his eyes and then nodded.

“He did tell you, didn’t he?”

The man tried to turn his head to avoid looking into her eyes but Elizabeth refused to be dissuaded from her task. She reached into his mind with her own.

Alexsander Berbatov strained against his bonds and tried to scream, but found that he couldn’t. The sick feeling of fingers going through his brain and thoughts told him that his weak attempts to resist had failed and now the girl knew what he was thinking.

_‘Yes, Berbatov, I’m in your mind and I am going to have so much fun driving you out of it. I’m going to enjoy making you a mindless husk, just as a Dementor would do, only I am not going to do it as quickly or at once. I’m going to take my time with you and then leave you to the emptiness of insanity within this room. The Dark Lord never told you that I’m a Legilimens did he? His puppet Zacharias found out about it the hard way and now, if he’s not dead, is likely spending the hours drooling down the front of his robes. You have a choice, Berbatov, you can help me or you can resist me, but either way I am going to get what I want.’_

Elizabeth withdrew from the mind of the wand maker, careful to step out of the way of the stream of vomit from him that her intrusion had caused. Then she turned to him once again.

“That time it was pleasant, next time I will not be so kind.”

The front of his robes covered with the stinking refuse from his stomach, the wizard watched as she walked out of the room. He had whimpered as his wand vanished into her robes and the knowledge that his shop was gone tortured his mind. Then he knew nothing as he went as limp as the wizard next to him and time, not to mention his surroundings or state, meant nothing to him.

Her activities in the village and wand shop had not gone unnoticed and a wizard appeared in the large chamber in a ruined castle to stand before his master.

“My Lord, I bring grave news.”

“What news?”

“The girl, Elizabeth Blackwell, has struck against us once again.”

“What has she done that has you so concerned?”

“The wand maker, Berbatov, has been taken by her and one of your followers was killed in the process. The shop where Berbatov toiled has been destroyed and all within lost.”

The screech from the dark figure made the wizard cringe as it echoed through the ruins of the structure.

“Where did she take him?”

“We do not know, my Lord, she has simply vanished. It is believed that she is preparing another strike against us, but we do not as yet know where or how this will be done.”

“The strikes against her mind, have they been initiated again?”

“Zacharias is no longer able to function, my Lord, the backlash against his mind by the girl destroyed it.”

The dark figure nodded and then finally spoke once again.

“She is troublesome and needs to be eliminated. What of her family and friends?”

“They are well guarded by the Aurors; any attack against them is doomed to fail.”

“This is impossible, how is it that a mere girl is capable of this?”

“We do not know.”

“What of our allies in Auror custody?”

“They are under extremely heavy guard and unreachable.”

The figure before him didn’t speak further and the wizard began to fear that he was the next casualty until the person before him vanished. A moment later his master’s voice echoed through his mind.

_‘Find a way to defeat her or die!’_

Elizabeth placed the wand of Alexsander Berbatov next to the one that she had taken from his associate before considering what she had learned during her exchange with the wizard. The forces of the Dark Lord were reeling from defeat after defeat and were starting to become desperate. This meant that they were going to very likely become careless and begin to make mistakes that she could capitalize on.

She glanced at the vial which contained the hair that she would very soon use when she visited Azkaban Prison. All had to go perfectly while she was there or she risked becoming an inmate herself. The wizard that she sought probably knew enough to solve a number of riddles about the Dark Lord and she needed that knowledge, not that he was going to give it to her willingly. It would take an incursion into his mind to get what she needed and that meant getting past the defenses of the terrible place where he resided.

Exhausted by the exertion, she walked into the bedroom to collapse into the bed and sleep. The potion would be ready very soon and then she could strike once again. She was alone and could never hope to mount a major strike, at least not at the moment, but each strike that she managed right now was another pin prick at them. By now, she realized, those pin pricks likely had them understanding what a Muggle pin cushion must feel like while a robe was being sewn. Her attempts weren’t fatal to their efforts at the moment, but extremely maddening.

Her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep, secure in the knowledge that her family and friends were safe from attack and that the castle was secure. After all that she had given up, and was going to have to surrender in the future, this lone bit of knowledge made it all worth the cost. Tiger jumped up onto the bed and settled down to sleep next to his owner as silence filled the room and the light within it faded.

Tobias Leeds sat in his office as he examined the parchment that had arrived from the Ministry of Magic. The Governors were extremely confused by the fact that no official decree of expulsion for Elizabeth had arrived in their offices and now were questioning that fact. Already one of them had visited the school and learned that she had indeed left the castle and had not been seen on the premises since. She hadn’t even been seen in Hogsmeade which made them suspicious, as she had not left using the Hogwarts Express. This was explained by the headmaster as the girl leaving through the efforts of her house elf and apparation, neither of which was traceable as Elizabeth had reached the age of seventeen. The visiting governor had spoken to several staff members and students and finally had left, although Leeds wasn’t certain that the wizard was completely convinced of what he was hearing.

The day had also seen Meredith Weasley come to him and request a change of Houses. She wanted to leave Slytherin and enter Gryffindor to be with her cousins. He had approved it, although he had also warned her about the probable backlash from the members of her former House as well as the Gryffindors that would suspect her true motives for the change. None of this had seemed to bother the girl as she had stood fast by her request. She had left his office happy to be changing robes and soon was being greeted with no little amount of suspicion in the Gryffindor Common Room while her belongings made the transit from Slytherin House to her new dorm.

While changes were becoming accustomed to and old hostilities laid to rest, Elizabeth slept in her chamber as she prepared for her next strike against the Dark Lord.


	29. A Dreadful Error

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While many search for her, Elizabeth's purported guilt is broadcast throughout the Wizarding World. She strikes once more at the Dark Lord, but this time the strike will take place at Azkaban, a place where she may very well spend the rest of her life.

Albus Potter stood in the wand shop that had once belonged to Garrick Ollivander as he watched the old man’s much younger relative work on the production of a wand. The young wizard knew that it was going to be a long time before he actually had a chance to take part in the creation of the most vital piece of equipment that a witch or wizard could purchase and wondered if he would ever be as successful at it as Garrick had been.

Although he tried to pay attention to what was being said and shown to him, Albus knew that his mind was wandering and that had his mentor irritated. The subject of Elizabeth kept coming to his thoughts and the boy knew that wasn’t likely to change any time soon. She had promised herself to him and he had pledged himself to her, and now there was a growing doubt among many of their friends and family that the marriage was ever going to take place. The young wizard often lay awake at night wondering where the girl that he loved had gone as she had simply vanished from sight, although there were reports that while she might be invisible she was also very active.

A wand shop in Bulgaria that was suspected of supplying wands to the forces of the Dark Lord had been destroyed in a terrible fire and the wand maker had been whisked away in the process. The smoldering remains had yielded a corpse that had been identified as one of the followers of the Dark Lord and this made many believe that it had been much more than an accident that had occurred.

His father had also let slip that a wizard known to be on the run from the Aurors had been spotted in Manchester and had been taken by an unidentified witch that had suddenly appeared, stunned the man and then vanished. No one had gotten a good looked at the cloaked figure but everyone was betting that it was Elizabeth. He remembered the last conversation that he had had with his father and the sorrow that it had wrought.

_“She’s going to get herself killed, son. Elizabeth has gone on a crusade of her own and I don’t think it very likely that she’ll ever return and, if she does, she won’t be the same as you knew her. Albus, if she continues on the path that she is on she’ll be wanted by the Aurors and once captured sent to Azkaban.”_

_“But, Dad, she’s doing the job that an Auror would do; she’s taking out followers of the Dark Lord. Why would she be imprisoned for that?”_

_“She might be doing that sort of a job, Albus, but sooner or later some innocent witch or wizard is going to get hurt or worse on one of her raids and then no one will be able to help her.”_

_“Then you’ve turned on her too.”_

_“Not at all, Albus, I love Elizabeth and had been looking forward to calling her my daughter-in-law, but now I don’t know if that can happen.”_

_“What do you mean? Of course it’s going to happen! I’m going to marry her and we’ll have children together. I intend to grow old alongside her.”_

_“Albus, I hope that that happens, I really do, but be prepared for the very real possibility that she could die or have to be arrested and sent to prison.”_

A sudden sharp rap to his arm told him that his mentor was growing impatient with him and had likely asked him a question that he wasn’t certain that he knew the answer to. He turned back to the work bench to see Alivare Ollivander staring at him angrily while the man held up a partly finished wand.

“You haven’t listened to a thing that I said have you?”

“No, Mister Ollivander, I haven’t. I’m really very sorry, but my mind was elsewhere.”

“Then perhaps your body should be as well. Mister Potter, your father may be famous but that does not give you the knowledge that you need to make wands. It takes years of intense attention to detail to learn to produce a mediocre wand. If you want to learn this craft you need to be on task at all times, otherwise I am afraid that perhaps you need to seek a different career.”

“I really want to learn this, Mister Ollivander, but right now I am so worried about my fiancé.”

“Mister Potter, are you completely committed to the girl?”

“I am.”

“Does she consume your thoughts at all times?”

“Yes.”

“Then I am afraid that you have no place here at this time. You are under a spell that not even the most powerful wizard or most wise elf can break. You are deeply in love with the girl and will be distracted by your thoughts of her until she is found and back in your arms.”

“Others tell me to forget about her, to put her out of my mind, what advice do you give me?”

The man sitting before him sighed as he laid the partially created wand back onto the bench and then looked him directly in his eyes.

“Albus, my relative used to say that the wand chose the wizard that used it.”

“Yes, I remember that.”

“I would add to that a wizard’s heart chooses the witch that it will love forever. Your heart has chosen Miss Blackwell and nothing can change that, not even the passage of time. Even if the worst were to come and she would lose her life, you would love her until time that your heart ceases beating. The two of you have become one, nurture that.”

“Thank you, Mister Ollivander.”

“There will be a place for you here as my apprentice, Albus, once your mind is back on the job.”

Albus nodded and then walked up the stairs to gather his belongings before vanishing with a POP to appear in the home of his parents. Ginny looked up as her youngest son appeared and then smiled.

“I wondered how long you would stay there while you thought non-stop about Elizabeth.”

“Mom, I have to help her somehow.”

“To help her you would have to know where she is and I think that she might be constantly on the move to prevent capture by the forces of the Dark Lord or arrest by the Aurors.”

“Why would the Aurors arrest her?”

Ginny’s face softened as she looked into the eyes of her son and it was then that he realized what she knew.

“The Aurors have issued a warrant for her arrest, haven’t they?”

Tears began to flow down Ginny’s face as she nodded and then spoke.

“She is wanted in the deaths of Patricia Carstairs and the wizard that died in the village in Bulgaria. If she’s arrested she’ll likely stand trial and be sent to Azkaban for the remainder of her life. The Ministry of Magic has declared her a fugitive and ordered her arrested on sight regardless of circumstance. Your father and Aunt Hermione tried every argument that they could think of on her behalf and they fell on deaf ears. I’m so sorry, Honey.”

“But she saved everyone at Hogwarts with the potion that she brewed. She saved everyone at Hogwarts from Koeppler. She has risked everything for so many people so many times and now they want her thrown into Azkaban like some piece of garbage? It’s not fair! A lot of people would be dead if she hadn’t intervened.”

“I know, Albus, I understand and so do a lot of other people. Professor Leeds and the other professors at Hogwarts have all agreed to go before the Wizengamot to argue her case but until the files on the incident at Hogwarts are released Elizabeth looks very guilty.”

“How in the name of Merlin can the files on the attack be secret from the Wizengamot? They are supposed to have complete access to all of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement! They are the court that oversees that, aren’t they?”

The boy looked at his mother for a moment and then turned towards the window, his mother reading his intent without it being spoken.

“What are you going to do, Albus?”

His answer was short and to the point.

“Find her and help her, Mom. I don’t care how long it takes or what it costs me, I love her and I’m going to do it.”

“Albus!”

The boy vanished with a POP leaving his mother to wonder what would happen when her other children, as well as Beatrice and Rose, learned of his intent.

It did not take long for the rest of the Wizarding World to learn of what had happened in the Ministry of Magic as the Daily Prophet was ablaze with the headline the next morning.

**ELIZABETH BLACKWELL WANTED IN THE MURDERS OF PATRICIA CARSTAIRS AND RANDOLPH BELAKOV!**   
**FORMER HOGWARTS TEACHING ASSISTANT TO BE CONSIDERED EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!**   
**AURORS PUT ON ALERT AS FUGITIVE WITCH VANISHES, CITIZENS BE WARY!**

Those who knew the girl were aghast at the headlines and her parents, not to mention her grandparents, were furious that anyone could believe that of the girl, let alone print it. It did not take long before the Aurors arrived at their home and stood before their closed door. Harry hesitantly knocked on the front door and then waited patiently until it was answered by the girl’s mother.

“Harry, why are you here?”

“I have a warrant, Victoria, I’m here for Elizabeth.”

“We don’t know where she is, Harry, we haven’t seen her since all of this began.”

“Victoria, please…”

“I don’t know where she is, Harry. I’m telling you all that I know. She went back to Hogwarts, something happened in one of the classes and she hasn’t been seen since. As for what happened in Bulgaria, well, I have no idea why she would have gone there, if she went there. It seems to me that there is an incredible amount of speculation involved, especially when you consider that no one has any proof that she did anything. I also have to wonder why she is accused of things that you yourself know cannot true and yet you allow her to be held in suspicion. I actually thought that I knew you Harry, but now I’m not so certain.”

A younger Auror, impatient with the delay and eager to make a name for himself, pushed forward and stepped up to speak to the witch.

“We’re here for your daughter, Mrs. Blackwell, and you too if you interfere with us.”

Victoria looked at the younger man and then back at Harry.

“Very well, Harry, if this is the way that it is going to be, conduct your search and if she is here please let me see her before she leaves. But, once you are done turning this house upside down looking for someone who isn’t here, I want you to leave this home and never return because you won’t be welcome here ever again.”

Victoria stepped aside and then watched as the group entered the room, the young wizard who had stepped forward was stopped however as he prepared to enter.

“You, you poor excuse for a troll, may not enter this home and in fact may leave the grounds immediately. I am obeying the warrant, but you may not enter. Leave now or face a complaint to your office.”

The young man started to argue with her and then stopped when Harry turned to face him.

“Go back to the office, Henry! This is difficult as it is without you making the situation worse.”

The Auror vanished with a POP and then Victoria turned back to Harry.

“Thank you for that, Harry, but it doesn’t change what I said before. Once you are done searching for my daughter, once you find that she is not here, once you determine that she is innocent of what she has been accused of and has been cleared, you are never to return to this house. I thought that we were friends once, but now I can’t bear to even look at you. Conduct your search and then get out!”

While the Aurors searched her home and Hogwarts, Elizabeth sat quietly in the library of her box. Berbatov had managed to spill a bit of information during another search of his mind and, at the moment, was more than a little sick. The sifting of his thoughts could be done painlessly and without making the subject ill, but Elizabeth was angry. She knew about the searches of her home and the castle and the torment that her family was going through and was taking it out on the only people that she could. They would live through the ordeal, she had no desire to kill people that couldn’t defend themselves contrary to the belief that the Daily Prophet was spreading, but they would remember it for a very long time.

The notes that she had taken were beginning to bear fruit as she had managed to visit Bulgaria once again in the guise of an old woman. She had located the grave of the young man killed by her father and had spoken to the mother of the boy, who had believed that she was speaking to the mother of another of Marcus Beales-Armstrong’s victims. What this told her was that what her mother and Professor McGonagall had relayed to her was true. Her father was a murderer.

She glanced again at the potion that waited for her use. Herbert Chandler was her next visit and she intended to make it soon. A careful study of the defenses of Azkaban had told her that the attempt would be difficult but was definitely possible. The defenses of the place were meant to keep people in, not out and thus there were vulnerabilities.

“My beautiful Star…”

Elizabeth looked up at Sebastian’s portrait to see the wizard looking at her with alarm.

“What is it, Sebastian?”

“The Aurors have arrived at my portrait in your home and wish passage.”

Elizabeth knew that that happening would bring them right into the very room that she occupied and that the portrait couldn’t delay them for long. She glanced at the door which led into the rain forest and then smiled before rising and walking to that door. A moment later the door was open and her wand had been drawn. She watched sadly as the rain forest moved aside a bit to reproduce the laboratory, library and other rooms of the box. Then she hurried to the portrait and carried it into the new library, followed by that of Frenwhel. Once she closed the door again, she knew that they would have no way to enter her library and could search to their hearts content.

Harry stood outside the portrait, knowing exactly what he would encounter once they made entry. The girl was resourceful and they would likely be searching areas that had once been a part of the rain forest that she had conjured. He smiled as the portrait swung open and they entered the rooms beyond it. The Aurors moved from room to room finding unoccupied territory and doors that opened easily to their attempts. There was nothing in the place to tell them that the girl had been there and they finally admitted defeat as they exited through the portrait to find Victoria waiting for them.

“Are you satisfied, Harry? Your people have been all through this house and now through the portrait. She’s not here!”

“Yeah, Victoria, I’m satisfied,” he announced as he gave her a careful wink.

Victoria watched as the group left her home and then thought about what had happened. Harry knew, he had to, why else would he had acted as he had before leaving. Elizabeth was giving them all a very good chase while she searched for answers and soon would be dealing with another person that knew answers to her questions.

A sudden rustle at the portrait and then a POP told her that the girl had vanished once again and was no doubt on her way to Herbert Chandler.

She appeared outside of the portal used to visit the prison and glanced around nervously. The prison had an enchantment douser much like the one at Gringott’s. The Thieves’ Downfall (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow’s) erased all enchantments which might help a would be thief, including PolyJuice Potion, if she could get past the one at Azkaban she had a very good chance of getting where she needed to be.

An Auror, suspicious of all who visited the prison, stood guard at the portal that allowed new inmates and prison visitors entry into the place that no one in their right mind went to voluntarily, unless they were guards there. She watched as the Auror approached her and then looked at her with interest.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”

“What is your business here?”

“I need to speak to a prisoner.”

“And who would that be?”

“Herbert Chandler.”

“And who might you be?”

“I’m his sister, Georgia.”

Chandler’s sister was a squib, and a rather absent minded one at that. She had never visited the prison before, but all of the guards knew what she looked like. The former Minister of Magic had often loudly bemoaned the fact that the woman had never visited him and this, although Elizabeth was unaware of the fact, made the mission much more likely to succeed. The hair that Elizabeth had obtained had made her an exact duplicate of the woman and now stood on the brink of either allowing the girl to enter the place as a visitor or begin her stay as an inmate.

The Auror looked at her again, perhaps looking for signs of deceit, and then nodded before allowing her through the portal. Unlike apparation and the Floo Network, entry into Azkaban was rather terrifying and Elizabeth felt rather ill when she emerged on the other side of the barrier. Another Auror approached her and then led her into the fortress-like prison to begin the walk through the labyrinth of corridors. Thus far, the girl realized, she had been very fortunate and had gotten rather far through the defenses that the prison used to prevent escape attempts, but the doorways that glowed with a light blue haze worried her. They were meant to cancel out enchantments and sooner or later she was going to have to pass through one of them. It would be then that she would find out if the spell that Chloe had cast would prevent her detection.

Walking next to the Auror, she tried to quiet her heart as they rounded a corner to see a haze filled doorway. The wizard next to her stopped and then motioned her through, while also drawing his wand in readiness. They either were suspicious of her or did this as a matter of practice. She tried to stifle the deep breath that she took and then stepped through the doorway. The sensation was somewhat like stepping under a shower, but she emerged on the other side dry and still under the enchantment. Chloe’s help had worked.

The Auror emerged behind her and she watched as he put his wand back into his robes before leading her on towards her objective. Another turn and down some more stairs and then she stood outside cell 807, the current home of Herbert Chandler, former Minister of Magic.

The Auror drew his wand again and then stepped aside as the cell opened before holding out his hand. She reached into her robes and then withdrew the wand of Georgia Hassleton before handing it to the man. It really was the wand of the woman, being a squib she would likely never realize that the wand that lay on her table was not real or that she had had a visitor that fully intended to visit again to return the item. The Auror swiftly read the wand and then nodded his satisfaction before allowing her into the cell. The man within looked up as she entered and then his eyes widened as he rose to walk towards her happily.

“Georgia, is it really you?”

“Herbert, I’ve missed you so much,” she exclaimed as they hugged.

“I didn’t expect to ever see you again. How did you get here?”

“A helpful elf brought me to the outside barrier and now I’m here to pay you a visit.”

The Auror watched for a moment and then closed the barrier behind the pair. They hurried to sit down to talk and Herbert never saw the wand that emerged to cast a blanketing charm over the cell. Any scrying devices would see only the pair of them sitting and having a talk with nothing suspicious happening.

As they talked, Herbert Chandler grew increasingly suspicious of his “sister”. She had made several errors when he asked questions to test her and was quite certain that she wasn’t who she appeared to be. Elizabeth knew that he was suspicious, she wanted him to be and his suspicions were confirmed when the wand appeared in her hand and was leveled at him. The steely eyes that glared from his sister’s face told him what he was afraid of and when he asked the question that was toying at the edge of his mind he knew the answer before she spoke.

“You’re her, aren’t you? You’re Elizabeth Blackwell.”

“I’m glad that you remember me, Mister Chandler, you did your best to put me in this place and failed.”

“Why are you here? Have you come to kill me?”

“Why should I do that? This is far worse than anything that I could do to you. Killing you would do you a favor. I think that I would rather see you rot here in Azkaban.”

“Then why are you here?”

The next response was something that stopped Herbert Chandler’s mind in its tracks and in that moment he realized that the person that he had regarded as an enemy might actually be a friend.

“I need to know about the man who killed your son, James. I need to know all that you do about Marcus Beales-Armstrong.”

“And why do you need to know about that piece of filth?”

Her next words chilled him to the bone and it was only the kind light in her eyes that told him that she had come to help.

“He’s my father.”

Herbert Chandler nodded and then settled back down onto the chair that he had left to speak to the girl.

“I’ll tell you what you want to know, but you’re not going to like it.”

“I never thought that I would, but I need to know all that I can if I’m going to face him.”

“Then let me start at the beginning,” the aging wizard answered as he moved closer to the daughter of the wizard that had killed his son.

A long time afterward, when the tale had been told, Elizabeth rose with tears in her eyes. She knew all that she needed to know about her father and what he had become and she looked at Herbert Chandler with different eyes. He was no longer the enemy, but rather the broken father of a lost son who had died at the hands of a madman.

“I’m going to have to _Obliviate_ you, you know that don’t you?” she asked.

The wizard nodded as he prepared himself for what was coming. The girl drew her wand and then spoke to him before casting the spell.

“I’m not going to completely _Obliviate_ you because I might need what you remember at some point in the future.”

“I don’t care what you do, Elizabeth, just catch up with him and defeat him.”

“That’s what I intend to do.”

No one saw the wand do its work and when she rose to walk out of the cell, Herbert Chandler wished his sister goodbye. The guard led her out of the warren of tunnels and through the blue haze until she arrived at the portal that she had entered through. The unpleasant journey was repeated and she appeared outside the prison where the Auror met her.

“Did you have a good visit?”

“Yes, it was quite pleasant,” she answered as he handed her the wand of Georgia Hassleton which she slipped into her robes.

“Very well, have a pleasant day.”

“Thank you, kind sir, I shall.”

She watched as he turned to walk away and was just beginning to turn herself when he spoke once again.

“Oh, Miss Blackwell, I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me.”

She turned and answered without thinking.

“What do you need to know?”

The POPs of Aurors appearing around her told Elizabeth that she had made a dreadful error and, as the wands rose to face her, she dropped her own as well as the borrowed one. An Auror stepped closer to her and then encircled her wrists with a magical bond as her disguise faded.

“Elizabeth Blackwell, you are under arrest for the murders of Patricia Carstairs and Rudolph Belakov. I hope that you enjoyed visiting Azkaban Prison for you shall soon be residing there, probably for the remainder of your life.”


	30. Changing Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hogwarts and those who live within it prepare to undergo massive changes in their lives as the Ministry of Magic takes over administration of of the school.

Hogwarts had endured the presence of the Aurors as the search was made for Elizabeth and many, some with something to hide, were grateful to see the law enforcement officers abruptly leave, although many wondered about their sudden departure. All knew that it had something to do with Elizabeth and the happenings in the castle and the friends of the girl immediately assumed the worst when the visitors simply left.

Lily and Beatrice, not to mention others, had been horrified when the headlines concerning Elizabeth in the Daily Prophet had been loudly announced by several overjoyed Slytherin students and that joy had been echoed by other students within the castle. Several fights had broken out as supporters of the girl took offense to the stories spread about her and tried to deal with it themselves.

As a result, student activities were severely curtailed and the remaining trips to Hogsmeade for the term were cancelled. Even the students who normally were allowed to go to the village were prohibited to do so as Professor Leeds and the staff worked to bring the school back to its normal process of operation. A curfew was put into place, something that angered many of the older students as they had love interests elsewhere in the castle, and the Prefects were kept busy sending rule breakers to the proper destinations while also issuing punishments.

Detentions were at an all-time high and all of the Houses were in severe danger of finishing the term with negative point balances. Lily walked into Potions class with Beatrice to find several girls crying and some of the boys also near tears while other students were near celebration.

“What’s going on?” Lily asked a girl from Hufflepuff.

“You haven’t heard, Lily?”

“If I had, I wouldn’t be asking. What’s going on?”

“The Governors of the school are considering replacing Professor Leeds. They say that he hasn’t been keeping the school operating correctly and that they are “worried about the educational progress of the students”.”

“Where did you hear this, Madeline?”

“It’s on the front of the Daily Prophet! It also said that they are looking into whether or not to replace the entire lot of the staff or just shut the school down. If that happens who knows where we’ll have to go to school.”

“Was there anything about Elizabeth?”

“No, and that worries me because they’ve been trumpeting about it constantly and now nothing. The wanted poster for her that was in the paper isn’t even there now. I think that the Aurors might have caught her.”

Lily felt a sudden heaviness in her belly as the last words said to her struck her like a train. She knew what her father always said about the posters concerning fugitives. They stayed in the Daily Prophet until an arrest was made and Elizabeth’s poster was gone now. Had her friend been caught by the Aurors and her father not said anything to her? Was Elizabeth at that very moment sitting in a cell waiting for a trip to Azkaban Prison?

Professor Tindwell walked into the classroom to find his students talking quietly among themselves and then motioned for them to be seated while he walked to his customary speaking location. The class hurried to their seats and he looked at them with eyes sadder than many had ever seen before.

“Class, I have been instructed to escort you all to the Great Hall where Professor Leeds shall make some announcements.”

“What’s going on, Professor Tindwell?” Beatrice asked.

“Miss Campbell, the situation is grave and I feel it better that you hear what needs to be said from Headmaster Leeds.”

Rising nearly as one, the students gathered their belongings and then walked towards the Great Hall, joining other classes as they walked. The students joined an uncharacteristic throng as they milled towards their destination and soon were filing into the huge chamber to see the professors sitting at the High Table waiting for them. Lily and Beatrice hurried to their customary spots and soon were seated as they waited for the remainder of the students to find a seat and quiet down. Professor Leeds rose from his chair to walk towards the lectern and silence fell over the room as all eyes turned to him.

“I have a number of announcements to make and, because they all directly affect each and every one of you, I wanted all of you here at this time."

The tall wizard paused as the minimal chatter in the massive room died completely before speaking again.

"The first announcement is that I shall be stepping down immediately as the Headmaster of Hogwarts. The Ministry of Magic has become concerned about the happenings at the school and has issued a statement indicating that they no longer have confidence in my leadership here. Therefore tomorrow you shall have a new headmaster, who that shall be I do not know as they are not on staff here at Hogwarts.”

Hurried whispers broke out as the students began speculation about what this all meant to them.

“The second announcement also affects each of you as well. The same decree that showed concern with my leadership also called into question the capabilities of the teaching staff and there have been a large number of removals from the classrooms. As a result, you will probably find a new face in front of you as you study. Again, I have no idea who the new staff members will be as I have had no input into their selection. I am reliably informed that the new staff has been selected by the Ministry of Magic and that all are capable teachers.”

“As a result of this decision, there shall be no classes until further notice and all students are advised to return to their homes by whatever method is the quickest as the school shall be closed immediately. Owls have been sent to your homes informing your parents of this situation.”

He paused for a moment before speaking again and it was then that many knew the worst.

“As you all know, the Aurors have been within the walls of Hogwarts as they search for a former student from this school. I have been informed that she was not located within the school and therefore the Aurors were withdrawn to concentrate their efforts elsewhere. A few hours ago, Elizabeth Blackwell was arrested without incident by the Aurors and now is in custody at an undisclosed location. I have also been informed that she will stand trial before the Wizengamot for the crimes that she has been accused of. I am told that she has been cooperating with the investigation and that leniency may be extended to her because of this.”

Lily buried her face in her folded arms as she bent down to place her head on the table before her. Beatrice watched as her friend’s shoulders began to shake and heard the sobs that came from the other girl. She looked around the room and saw many in the same situation, including many within the staff. All had taken a gut punch from the announcements and now wondered what the future held for them. She leaned over to hug her friend while also rubbing Lily’s back gently while the other girl cried.

“Lily, let’s go back up to the common room.”

The other girl nodded and they rose to join a gathering crowd of dispirited students who also were in retreat while they wondered if there would be a Hogwarts to come back to. The castle might be the same, but all knew that different professors would change the dynamics of the school terribly. The trip up to the Gyrffindor Common Room had never before seemed so long and it seemed as though they would never get to the top of the stairs to stand before the portrait of the Fat Lady and then walk into the already crowded room. The room was filled with stunned students whose world had just been not only turned upside down, but also shaken vigorously. A friend was gone and likely to never return while their school term had been devastated and many would not experience the success that they had been enjoying in the past. All hope had been given up by all Houses for victory in the House Cup contest.

Lily, Beatrice and Victoria made their way to the dorms where they sat quietly on beds to talk while they shed tears.

“I can’t believe it, I just can’t,” Lily announced through her tears, “Elizabeth didn’t do anything wrong, she saved the school and everyone in it and this is how they repay her. I know that my dad didn’t do this because he helped that day when we took out the dark witches and wizards. If it hadn’t been for the potion that Elizabeth made, they would still be here and likely killing people. She risked her life for these dolts and now she’s been arrested.”

She paused for a moment and then her eyes went wide as she thought about something.

“Oh Merlin’s Beard!” she exclaimed suddenly. “What’s going to happen when Albus finds out about this? He’s going to go mental when he hears the news and who knows what will happen then.”

The other girls looked at her and nodded their agreement as Beatrice realized what Lily was saying and Victoria was trying to follow along. They turned as Meredith and Ariel as well as a Prefect walked into the room with an announcement that she had been told to relay.

“Everyone is supposed to have their things ready to go by dinner. They want to have everyone out of the school tonight, no exceptions,” the Prefect announced. “The Hogwarts Express will be at the station in about two hours and everyone is expected to be ready to go. As soon as dinner is over we will be loading the train and leaving so you can wear your traveling clothes if you wish.”

The girl turned and exited the room leaving those that remained to look at each other in astonishment. Nothing like this had ever happened before and no one knew just how to take the news. After a few minutes of silent thought they rose to either begin packing or walk to their own dorm to prepare to leave. The castle, normally rather noisy at this point of the day was nearly dead silent as its residents prepared to abandon it.

Minerva McGonagall looked around the room that she occupied when not in her classroom. Bags and trunks lined one of the walls and she watched as they vanished, knowing that they had joined a growing pile in the entrance to the Great Hall. A sudden sharp rap at her door alerted her to the presence of a visitor and she opened the door to find a strange wizard standing outside the barrier.

“Professor Minerva McGonagall?”

“Yes.”

“I am William Taggert, one of the Governors of Hogwarts. May I have a few minutes of your time?”

“Why of course you can. Please come in.”

The wizard stepped into the nearly vacant room and then turned his attention to its occupant.

“Can I help you?”

“I assume that you know the gravity of the situation, Professor McGonagall. Hogwarts is at a point unlike any seen before in its history. The headmaster and a great deal of the staff being removed due to loss of confidence in their ability to perform their duties and the students being sent home until things are sorted out.”

“It is certainly something that I never expected to see. But why are you here, Governor Taggert?”

“Professor Minerva McGonagall,” the wizard said as a letter appeared in his hand and was then handed to her. “You are hereby informed that you have been removed from your post at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and will be called before the Wizengamot to determine your suitability to return to this school as a professor. Should you be found to be unsuitable, you shall be immediately sacked.”

The wizard turned to leave and then turned back to the elderly witch.

“You shall also need to remove all personal belongings from your quarters, office and classroom. Have a wonderful evening.”

William Taggert turned and left the room behind as Professor McGonagall realized that other staff members were also receiving their notice to vacate. She let the door close behind him while tears fell from her eyes and the life that she had lived within these walls moved towards its end.

Tobias Leeds, no longer Headmaster of Hogwarts, watched as the last of his belongings vanished and then began the long walk down to the Entry Foyer. Having been removed as headmaster, he no longer had the privilege of apparating wherever he needed to go within the castle. He glanced up at the spot where he had assumed that his portrait would be when it joined the past headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts and wondered if he would make it to that space. Probably not, he finally decided, no headmaster had ever been removed before and he doubted that he would get much more than a brief mention in the footnotes of the history of the school. He quietly walked down the stairs and, when he reached the bottom, found the Governors of the school waiting for him.

“Tobias,” one of them said quietly, “I am so sorry that it came to this. You and I have been friends for a very long time and I sincerely hope that that continues.”

“Of that you can be certain, but I think that it shall be a long time before I wish to sit down with you for a drink.”

“Thank you, Tobias, for all that you have done for the school.”

“You have a strange way of showing gratitude, James, most grateful people do not sack someone who has helped them.”

The other wizard nodded and then tried to speak again only to find the former headmaster walking away from him. Tobias Leeds walked out of the castle and to the edge of the barrier where his things waited for him. He and they vanished with a POP leaving Hogwarts castle far behind.

Auror Headquarters and the Ministry of Magic were in turmoil and Harry stood in front of the gathered Wizengamot as he spoke after several hours of heated debate among the members of the group. A sudden POP announced the arrival of Tobias Leeds and Harry watched as the wizard made his way to his seat.

“This is insanity! I have to wonder if this assembly has been the subject of a Confundus spell because you all appear to have gone mental! We all know who Patricia Carstairs truly was and Alecto Carrow is not deserving of the kind of mourning that she is receiving. While a professor at Hogwarts she subjected children to the Unforgivable Curses, not once but several times and then punished other students who refused to torture others. Rudolph Belakov was a dark wizard known to have ties to the Dark Lord and Voldemort and yet you act as though he was an innocent first year! We have no way of knowing who started the fire that destroyed the wand shop in that village or what truly happened there and we certainly have no evidence that Elizabeth Blackwell killed anyone there and yet she sits in a cell waiting for trial.”

“Mister Potter, this assembly is quite aware of who Patricia Carstairs was, just as we knew who Rudolph Belakov was. But we also know who Elizabeth Blackwell is, your vision I’m afraid is blinded by the fact that your son, Albus, is engaged to her.”

“Elizabeth Blackwell is a very talented witch who just happened to have the misfortune to be the daughter of Marcus Beales-Armstrong but that is the end of her involvement with him. She has been raised since birth in the home of John and Victoria Blackwell, both of whom are respected members of our world. Elizabeth Blackwell saved the children of Hogwarts by producing a potion which allowed the Aurors at the school to see who was not who they appeared to be and enabled them to arrest the intruders. This would not have been possible without Miss Blackwell who, by the way, suspected Patricia to not be what she appeared. She saved children from possible injury or death and let’s not forget that many of those who were apprehended that day were on the wanted list. The wall in my office is nearly empty, only one poster remains and that wizard should be in custody soon. This assembly has a strange way of showing gratitude, especially those here who have children or grandchildren studying at Hogwarts, children who were protected by the accused.”

“Mister Potter, this assembly is not unappreciative…”

“It looks to me like it is! You have placed someone who should be hailed as a hero in custody and sacked the entire staff of Hogwarts. Many of us studied there, under many of the very caring people that have been removed from their posts, and now I have a daughter there. My child will very likely not be returning to Hogwarts and I think that I can safely speak for many parents when I say this.”

“Mister Potter, what would you have this assembly do? Would you have us allow the continual flouting of our laws? The laws that are in place are there to protect people like your daughter and yet Miss Blackwell has broken so many of them that we must act.”

“What laws has she broken?”

“The use of the Unforgivable Curses for a start, her wand revealed that she had used not only the _Imperius_ Curse but also the _Cruciatus_ …”

“Both of which were sanctioned if necessary given the situation that she was in that day at Hogwarts. Alecto Carrow was a former Death Eater and on the wanted list and was known to have no compunction about the use of the Unforgivable Curses. I doubt very much that Elizabeth was given a choice in the matter once the duel with Alecto had begun. It was a certain duel to the death and the girl knew this, but went in any way to protect her charges.”

“And her unauthorized entry into Azkaban, how is that explained, Mister Potter?” a formerly silent member of the assembly voiced menacingly. “She went into a secure facility, with a stolen wand, and gained access to a convicted wizard, all the while carrying a concealed wand and under disguise produced by an elf spell. This in itself is an offense punishable by years in Azkaban.”

“She went to Herbert Chandler for information about her father, Marcus Beales-Armstrong, who is believed to be the Dark Lord. Former Minister of Magic Chandler’s son, James, was an Auror who was killed by the father of the girl shortly after he had killed a student from Durmstrang. Elizabeth Blackwell has been assembling evidence against the Dark Lord and was getting close to being able to expose him.”

“And do the Aurors have this evidence?”

“We do, Miss Blackwell handed it over willingly when I asked her to. The deceit at Azkaban was necessary to get what she needed. She harmed no one, although she had every chance to, and actually revealed weaknesses in the defenses of the prison which could have been exploited by those with less honorable motives than she had.”

“Then the Office of the Aurors is prepared to move against the Dark Lord?”

“Not yet, we are still analyzing the information that she provided. Elizabeth Blackwell produced detailed notes about everything that she had learned and, from what I hear, cooperated fully by relating everything that Chandler told her about her father. It may be days before we get everything gone over.”

“I assume then that your office will inform this assembly when you are prepared to move.”

“I will, but I need to add something in answer to a comment made by a member of this assembly.”

“And what do you need to add, Mister Potter?”

“My vision is not blinded by the fact that my son is engaged to Elizabeth Blackwell. She is a talented and very intelligent witch who has overcome great adversity in her life. Her marriage to my son will be a momentous day in my life and I cannot wait for it to happen. I will be more than happy to call her not only my daughter-in-law but also the mother of my grandchildren!”

The Supreme Mugwump looked around the room and then spoke.

“This assembly was convened to determine whether or not to try Elizabeth Michelle Blackwell for crimes committed. This debate has been informative but also long winded and very tiring and it is time to vote. All in favor of trying Elizabeth Michelle Blackwell for the crimes of which she has been accused raise your right hand.”

Harry watched as a forest of hands rose and his heart sank as he realized what it all meant as the Supreme Mugwump announced the findings.

“Elizabeth Michelle Blackwell shall stand trial for the deaths of Patricia Carstairs and Rudolph Belakov, not to mention the disappearance and probable death of wand maker Alexsander Berbatov. She shall also stand trial for her blatant use of both the Imperius and Cruciatus Curses. Finally, she shall stand trial for the intentional intrusion into Azkaban Prison while under disguise, carrying a stolen wand and carrying her own wand in concealment while gaining access to a convicted wizard. If found guilty of these charges Miss Blackwell will reenter Azkaban Prison as an inmate for the remainder of her natural life and this time there will be no miraculous escape from justice. I am afraid, Mister Potter, that you may have to wait for a very long time for not only her marriage to your son but also those grandchildren.”

Harry watched with incredulous eyes as the wizards and witches of the assembly began to vanish and wondered how his son and daughter would take this news about their friend. He finally vanished himself as he turned and walked out of the chamber through familiar corridors that were suddenly very alien to him.

The Daily Prophet would stun many the next day as the headlines screamed out the news.

**ENTIRE STAFF OF HOGWARTS SACKED! STUDENTS SENT HOME UNTIL END OF INVESTIGATION.**

**ELIZABETH BLACKWELL ARRESTED AND TO BE TRIED FOR CRIMES! LIFE SENTENCE IN AZKABAN LIKELY!**


	31. For What is to Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth may have been jailed but she continues to plan for the final battle with the Dark Lord.

Elizabeth’s arrest had stunned her friends and they had still been reeling when they were ordered to vacate Hogwarts. Now, as they left the empty castle after many hugs had been exchanged and tears shed, they boarded the Hogwarts Express to return home, many wondering if they would ever return. Already many parents had sent owls to the Department of Magical Education informing them that their children would not return to the castle, citing the enormous change in the staff.

The staff had not been long in following the students out of the castle and very soon after that Hogwarts was a very empty place. The elves or ghosts could not be found and even Peeves was absent with the subjects of his pranks now missing. The castle itself seemed to react to the sudden departure with the shutters over the windows swinging shut on their own and the gates closing tightly to prevent entry. The boats in the boathouse were securely tied in place and the gate behind them sealed while the carriages sat idle in the courtyard and the entire place assumed the air of something left to die as the fires in the braziers snuffed out and the torches in the halls and rooms followed them. Not even the Floo Network into the castle worked, it was as if Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had decided that no one would gain entry into it again.

The ride home on the Hogwarts Express was also much different than usual, with the noise of the wheels and the engine the only sign of life. Dispirited children sat quietly in the compartments and the witch with the trolley was finding sales few and far between. Even the normally rowdy Slytherin car was nearly silent, despite the absence of the patrolling Prefects and the unprecedented opportunity to do things that were against school rules. When the train arrived at King’s Cross, the children hurried to leave it, with the scene somewhat resembling the evacuation of the Great Hall after a major exam. Parents hurried to collect their children and very soon Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was a very silent place. The doors on the passenger cars slammed shut on their own and windows that had been left down by errant students slid up to close while the doors to the compartments slid shut to seal off the spaces. Then when the happenings finished, the Hogwarts Express followed the example of the school and went into what appeared to a slumber of its own.

Lily sat in her bedroom as she watched her school trunk empty and the things fly into her cupboard where they were hung neatly. Her books and cauldron appeared where they were normally stored and the remainder of belongings appeared on her bed. Photos of her and Elizabeth lay silently on her bed and she looked at them with tear-filled eyes as she placed them where she wanted them. She looked at the smiling face of her friend in one photo that had been taken in the summer before this term as they mugged for the camera. It had been a glorious day of fun in the sun as they enjoyed the company of each other and Lily had had more than a little fun teasing her friend about snogging with Albus.

Rose had also been present, as well as Beatrice, and they had tormented Albus mercilessly about his relationship with the girl. Now that relationship was in jeopardy and none of them doubted that the boy would hold true to his word and remain faithful to his promise. He would live his life waiting for Elizabeth’s release from prison while others lived theirs to the fullest. There would be no nieces or nephews for Lily to spoil, no record of the life that Albus and Elizabeth had wanted to spend together, none of it would ever happen. Lily collapsed forward to cry into her pillow and her tears would leave it wet, with no use of magic to dry it while the pictures arranged themselves on the walls.

Ginny stood downstairs in her living room while her daughter unpacked. She knew what was at stake and wondered how Lily and Albus would ever recover from it. Only Tiger, Elizabeth’s cat, had been spared the agony of what had happened as Chloe, Elizabeth’s elf, knowing what had happened with the animal during the last forced absence of the girl, had placed him in a kind of suspended sleep. He would not go through what he had before and would be there when the girl was finally released from prison. The witch knew that that would not be the case with the family of the girl. Elizabeth would leave prison to find everyone that she loved long dead, if she survived that long in Azkaban, if her spirit didn’t break before then. If she lived long enough to be released, she would find that life had passed her by and that she was a stranger, a has-been, in a world that no longer recognized her as anything more than a convicted murderer. Her many accomplishments would be consigned to the obscurity of little studied history and she would finally die, unrecognized and alone.

Harry suddenly appeared in the room and Ginny rushed forward to hug him.

“Is she here?”

“Up in her room, she came in and went straight up without saying a word.”

“Have you heard anything from Albus?”

“Nothing, Harry, no one has seen or heard anything from him since he left here. With them not allowing her to have visitors he has gone off on a tangent and that worries me. What is he going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Harry answered as he hugged his wife, “all that I know is that we need to find him before he does something that gets him into trouble.”

“Harry,” Ginny asked hesitantly, “is there any hope for Elizabeth?”

Ginny had heard her father’s voice and was starting down the stairs as her father answered the question that her mother had posed. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest as her father finally answered after a long pause.

“Ginny, I don’t see any hope that she’ll be found not guilty. For some reason that I haven’t been made aware of they’re looking past what she did for the school and it’s students and concentrating on what they want to convict her of. If they convict her she’ll be sent directly to Azkaban and won’t ever be released, it will be a life sentence.”

“Oh, dear Merlin!”

Lily stood silently on the stairs, tears running down her face as the news about her friend was revealed. Harry, sensing motion on the stairs, looked up to see his daughter standing there while her shoulders began to shake and her hands went up over her face. The girl sat down on the stairs while her sobs began to sound and her parents hurried to her side to hold her while she cried brokenheartedly.

“I can’t believe that they’re going to send her away forever,” she wailed while they held her tightly. “All that she did was defend the school and everyone in it, just like with Koeppler, and now they want to throw her away like so much rubbish. It will be worse than when we thought that she was dead, because she’ll be in that horrid place with no one to love her. She’s my best friend, and they’re going to kill her, maybe not right away, but sooner or later she’s going to die and no one will be there to care about it!”

“Lily, there are still people that care about Elizabeth,” Harry answered as he held his child.

“They care about her but she doesn’t know that. They’re going to lock her in that place and let her rot there. She’ll die fast, because they’re going to break her, Dad! Her spirit will break and she will die, Elizabeth, my best friend, will die in that terrible hole.”

“I know, Lily, and I wish that we could do something about it.”

The girl looked up at her parents and then spoke words that they had expected to hear and had dreaded coming from her lips.

“I’m not going back to Hogwarts. It won’t be the same, all of the professors gone and Elizabeth too, I won’t go back and no one can make me.”

“We expected you to say this and we agree with you,” Ginny whispered as she kissed her child, “we wondered how you would feel about Beauxbatons.”

“Never, I would rather end up a squib than go there! Elizabeth told me how she was treated there and I won’t put up with it. I’ll find an apprenticeship and learn that way.”

Lily rose and walked back up the stairs, slamming the door to her bedroom behind her. Her parents sat quietly as they realized what their daughter was likely doing. They had no doubt that she was lying on her bed crying about the friend that she had almost certainly lost. There was no doubt in their mind that they would never again hear Elizabeth’s voice in their home or see her in the arms of their son. The wonderful future that the young couple had planned was gone and would never be realized. Ginny leaned over and cried softly into her husband’s shoulder while he put his arm around her in an attempt to comfort her.

The shuttering of Hogwarts, however temporary, was a source of triumph as the followers of the Dark Lord celebrated the minor victory. With the established staff gone, they would have an easier time insinuating new “students” into the school and striving to get members of their own into teaching positions. They would work tirelessly to make the school a source of new members for their cause.

The fact that Elizabeth Blackwell was out from under the umbrella of protection that she had enjoyed was also interesting. She might not be reachable at the moment, but they had allies in Azkaban and once she was there she would be an easy target for elimination. Once she was eliminated, the true threat to the Dark Lord would be gone and they could make their plans for conquest easier to accomplish.

The dark hooded figure stood silently in the remains of what had been a hall similar to the Great Hall at Hogwarts while he took in the news. Hogwarts closed, Blackwell in custody, the entire staff at the school sacked, the fools had made it all incredibly easy for them and they had not had to expend one ounce of effort to do it. Blackwell had done it all for them and now would be easy to get to.

The only thing that troubled them was the fact that neither of their associates had been located. The girl had secreted them somewhere and the Aurors had yet to locate them. If they could not be found then it was hoped that they were dead and could reveal nothing of the plans that had been made.

Alexsander Berbatov awakened to find himself still bound in the dark room and then felt what he had feared that he would. Fingers probing his mind as the girl, not quite as submissive as many had been led to believe, searched his mind for more information. The assaults had been coming more and more frequently and what defenses he had were rapidly degenerating. Soon, he knew, Elizabeth Blackwell would have unrestrained access to his thoughts and memories and then, once she knew all that she wanted and needed to, she would have no further use for him. This thought frightened Berbatov as he was no warrior and in fact was a bit of a coward. The fact that he had reached for his wand when the girl had entered his shop was out of character for him, something that he had never done before.

_‘Alexsander, I’m back! Did you think that I had forgotten you? Oh, no, that will never happen, they may have locked me up for now, but they can’t stop this from happening. Sooner or later you’re going to let me know what you do and once I know what I want to, the fun shall really begin.’_

A terrible sensation ran through his mind as the image of his charred shop appeared to him and the horrible remains of his friend appeared. He could see the burned flesh that clung to the skeleton of the wizard and the grisly grin of the skull that looked outward through empty eye sockets. Berbatov tried to scream as the thing that had been his friend moved and then turned its head as though viewing him before speaking.

“You left me here to die, Alexsander, you left me here to burn and die. Soon it shall be your turn and I hope that she makes it slow and very painful.”

Berbatov tried to scream and found that he couldn’t as the face of the dead thing became his own only to be consumed by ghostly fire. He watched as his own features vanished in the flames, the flesh bubbling before cracking and then peeling away from a writhing skull. His eyeballs exploded out of their sockets and his tongue caught fire as the roiling flames leapt up his throat. In the end, he realized that the body that he was seeing was his own and he screamed out aloud; surprised that he could do so as his brain boiled within his skull.

_‘Did you enjoy that little scene, Alexsander? It’s what’s going to happen to you for real the next time I have to ask you for what I want to know because the fantasies are over. I’m really quite tired of playing games and watching others get away with things that they should be punished for. I’m going to punish you, Alexsander, and I’m going to take a long time about it.'_

“Please, I’ll tell you whatever you wish to know, just put an end to this torment, Miss Blackwell,” he screamed into the darkness.

Again he felt the fingers within his mind and this time he didn’t resist as they sorted through the convolutions of his brain, much like someone would thumb through a book, until they found what they were looking for. Then he realized to his horror that the girl had finally managed to access the memories of his discussions with the lieutenants of the Dark Lord. Suddenly his mind felt as though it was a pitcher that was pouring out its contents into a waiting receptacle. In his mind he could see the meeting as the girl made him replay what had happened and had been said. Desperately he tried to slam the door to his memories shut only to have it violently thrown back open by the girl who was intent on learning everything that he could teach her about the Dark Lord’s plans. Then the draining ended and he heard only a few words.

_‘Thank you, Berbatov, you have been most helpful. Just be thankful that the Dark Lord doesn’t know just how helpful you have been, I doubt that he would be as understanding and pleasant as I have been. Maybe someday I’ll release you and you can explain it all to him for yourself.’_

Alexsander Berbatov, before he went back into the sleep that she kept him and ill from the experience that he had just endured, was violently ill once again. Mercifully he went back to sleep after coating the front of his robes again. He hung there in the darkness that had closed in around him not knowing or caring what went on in his surroundings.

Deep in the ruins of the castle, his head snapped up and he turned it in the direction of London as images of Berbatov and Elizabeth entered his mind. He started to rise from where he had knelt and then was violently shoved backwards as the images of the meeting, the very images and sounds that the girl had seen, filled the mind of the Dark Lord. He started to rise again, after shoving away the faithful that had come to aid him in the effort, and found himself being thrown backwards once more as a voice entered his mind.

_‘I’m coming for you, Father, I know who you are and where you are and I will come for you! I know all that I need to know to destroy you and the filth that you call your followers. It may not be today, or tomorrow, but you can be assured that I am coming for you and there is nothing that you can do to stop it!’_

The connection was rudely broken and he felt the nausea that Berbatov had experienced as he collapsed to his hands and knees to empty the contents of his stomach onto the ground in front of him. His breath coming in ragged gasps, he finally managed to rise to his feet to glare at those who had come to his aid. One of them, the highest ranking among them, stepped closer to him before speaking.

“My Lord, what has happened?”

“It is the girl, despite her captivity she has managed to get into my mind to leave a message. She is far more dangerous than we ever believed and must be destroyed as soon as possible. To fail to do so will result in our own destruction. Learn where she is being kept and deal with her once and for all!”

Those around him vanished with loud POPs and the lone cloaked figure walked closer to the shattered frame of what had once been an enormous window to look out across the valley that the ruins overlooked. There was something growing in him, something that he had not known for a very long time, something that he had thought that he would never have to experience again, fear. This enemy was not going to fade away as so many had before her. Elizabeth Blackwell intended to destroy him and all he had built and it was very possible that her younger sister might be encouraged to assist her.

His mind ran back to the time that he had spent with Victoria Trane all of those years ago, when she had been a student at Hogwarts and he at Durmstrang. She had been the picture of loveliness and he had been extremely taken with her. They had enjoyed moments together and then, once the Tri-Wizard Tournament (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) had ended, they had been torn apart and then had not seen each other for years. He had next encountered her when she had been married and a chance meeting in Diagon Alley had reignited their passion. She was in an unhappy marriage and looking for something to show her worth to herself. The affair had been brief and he had been forced to abandon her when her husband had reentered the picture.

He had never heard from her again after that and had refused to send any correspondence to her. As a result, it was not until many years later, when the girl had begun to gain notoriety that he realized that he had a daughter by her. He was certain that he had sired her; she looked too much like Victoria to be anything but the daughter of his lost love. Her identity had been confirmed when he realized just how much she looked like his younger daughter, who had been named after Victoria Trane unbeknownst to the mother of the child.

But that child too had been abandoned in his quest for power, although he was quite certain that his parents were caring for her better than he could have. He had abandoned much to gain what he had and now what he had given up was coming back for him. Marcus Beales-Armstrong looked out through the wrecked window as he understood that the sins of his past might very well come back to destroy his future. The only answer to this dilemma was simple and its simplicity tore at his heart as the idea threatened to overwhelm his mind.

_‘They both have to die! I cannot allow my children to destroy me and what I have worked for; both of my daughters have to die!’_

A choked sob, the last one that would ever escape him, sounded as the last bit of his emotions for his children died just as certainly as he wished his daughters to. He screamed out his rage and then drew his wand to cast hate filled torrents of energy towards the sky as bits of stone from the buttresses that had been struck by the magic rained down around him.

Weakened by the sudden assault, which far surpassed anything that they had withstood over the centuries, a large section of the wall of the ruins fell to earth and when the cloud of dust cleared the Dark Lord was nowhere to be seen.

In her cell, far from the Headquarters of the Aurors, she smiled as she thought about what she had done and what she had accomplished. He would search for her, she knew that he would, she had forced his hand and now he had no choice. Her father would have to come out of hiding to get to her and, once he did, he would be dealt with for everything that he had ever done.

“It may not seem like it, Father, but I’m ready for you. Are you ready for what you are going to run into when you find me?”

She relaxed on her bed and fell into a deep and contented sleep as the smile remained on her face.


	32. Friends, Family and Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth faces the consequences of her actions and faces an unwelcome and tragic development.

What should have been an orderly trial before the Wizengamot was anything but as a multitude of parents argued on behalf of the girl. Their children were alive and well because of her and few believed that she had actually killed a child. In fact, the behavior of Patricia around the school, as well as the arrest of many dark witches and wizards, had only cemented their belief that Elizabeth had acted to protect the students and that she had been actually treated rather badly. As a result of the outcry, the Supreme

Mugwump had called the assembly into recess to try to solve the whole mess in a less public forum.

Now Elizabeth sat quietly in the office to which she had been taken while the barrister assigned to prosecute her faced her. Her own barrister sat next to her while wondering just what, if anything, he could do to help his client. She had been resistant to all of his efforts but he knew about her reputation as a formidable opponent and had eagerly accepted the challenge.

“Miss Blackwell, you are charged with two murders as well as a series of other offenses that could put you into Azkaban Prison for the rest of your life and yet you are resisting all of my efforts to offer you a deal.”

“I did not kill anyone other than a former Death Eater, namely Alecto Carrow. Rudolph Belakov died by his own actions, he picked up a random wand and attempted to use it. We all know the possible effects of using an unfamiliar wand, especially when you cast a destructive spell. The wand exploded and set fire to the wand shop of Alexsander Berbatov, which unfortunately burned to the ground with him in it.”

“And where is Mister Berbatov?”

“Mister Berbatov is in an undisclosed location. He is well, and cared for and in no danger of harm.”

“And where is this “undisclosed” location?”

“If I tell you the answer to that the location will not be undisclosed.”

“Miss Blackwell, I believe that you do not comprehend the gravity of your situation. You have been uncooperative during our conversation and it leads me to believe that you are going to do the same when we go before the Wizengamot.”

“I have not harmed anyone or done anything to deserve any of this. When Alecto Carrow and her associates entered Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under the disguise provided by a form of PolyJuice Potion, they intended harm and they were among children. When I faced Alecto Carrow, I was facing an adult that was wanted by the Aurors and the children that attend school at Hogwarts were safely in a secure place. There was no danger to any student or staff member when we dueled in that classroom. As to my use of the Unforgivable Curses, I had been given latitude to do so by none other than Harry Potter himself. He had, in effect, made me a member of that force for the task that we faced. Add to that that I produced a potion which allowed us to see who we faced which prevented harm to innocent people. As a result of that, the only ones harmed were the actual fugitives of justice, a great many of whom were wanted by the Office of the Aurors since the battle at Hogwarts some twenty plus years ago and only one of them died. The others are safely in custody.”

“Rudolph Belakov was also a convicted dark wizard who was sought by the Aurors in Bulgaria, but always a step ahead of them. He was a murderer that enjoyed killing his victims after torturing them with the _Cruciatus_. I highly doubt that the Wizarding World mourns his passing which again I did not cause. The examination of the scene explained that it had been the explosion of a wand that not only killed him but also set fire to the building.”

“Berbatov is my guest, sir, and is being treated much more kindly than an associate of the Dark Lord should be. He has not been harmed in any way and has been cooperative with my questioning.”

“My entry into the facility of Azkaban under disguise was necessary. The wand that I carried in the open was used only to gain entry and I intended to return it when I was finished with my chore. It was never used other than to deceive. My own wand was used only once and was in fact not discovered until I had left the cell of Herbert Chandler. I had every opportunity to kill Mister Chandler and did not. I did, as a matter of fact, willingly surrender the wand to the Aurors. In short, you have no case against me, Barrister Pauwlins, other than unauthorized entry which, under the codes of our own laws is not an offense which can lead to imprisonment. Before you throw someone into a cell make certain that they don’t read voraciously. I have, during my stay in this place, read all that I can on the “offenses” that you claim that I committed and I am fully ready to face anything that you can throw at me.”

“Your wand tells us that you cast _Obliviate_ on Mister Chandler…”

“Again, Barrister Pauwlins, I could have _Obliviated_ him by killing him but did not. I could have killed him by using the _Creeping Death_ curse but did not.”

“I am not familiar with that curse.”

“It, Barrister Pauwlins, kills its victims over the course of three days by literally eating them alive from the inside out. It is excruciatingly agonizing, but Mister Chandler is alive and well and as obese as ever. He was very helpful in my questioning and there was no reason to resort to violent measures to gain the information that I desired. Again, I treated him with kindness despite his attempt many months ago to place me into the very cell that he occupies.”

“Miss Blackwell,” the wizard began as he tried a different approach, “you seem to be a very kind, intelligent person. Why did you not let the proper authorities handle the issue?”

“I have reasons that are of a personal nature and that I will not divulge under any circumstance. I was attacked by both Alecto Carrow and Rudolph Belakov, who both attempted to use deadly force against me, I defended myself. If the authorities wish Mister Berbatov in their custody, then I shall of course turn him over to them, but no one has breached that possibility or even requested it. Do I apologize for my actions at Azkaban, certainly because it was wrong, but I also knew that I would not get access to Mister Chandler any other way.”

A here to fore silent wizard who sat in a corner of the room listened intently as the discussion proceeded and then finally spoke.

“Miss Blackwell, you claim to have information concerning the Dark Lord, is that information available to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Office of the Aurors?”

“It would have been available a long time ago if everyone would stop treating me like a child and more like someone who has a lot to lose if this situation is not handled properly.”

“Then, if I ask you for not only the information concerning the Dark Lord and his activities as well as the release of your “guest” you would comply with that request?”

Elizabeth turned to the wizard who served as Special Counsel to the Wizengamot and nodded before speaking.

“I would.”

The barrister sitting next to her blinked with surprise and then felt his jaw drop as she spoke next.

“All that you ever needed to do was to say the magic word that even Muggle children know.”

The wizard frowned as he looked at the girl and then spoke again.

“What is the magic word that even Muggle children know, Miss Blackwell?”

“Please.”

The wizard frowned for a moment and Elizabeth’s barrister feared that she had gone too far, that is until the frown became a smile and then laughter broke out in the room.

“Miss Blackwell, will you please turn over your “guest’ and the information that you have on the Dark Lord?”

“I will do so, but I wish to know what I can expect in return.”

“You are bold, Miss Blackwell, and perhaps that is what Harry Potter and Hermione Granger-Weasley see so appealing within you. I can assure you that you shall not be tried for any of these crimes. You shall be released immediately to the custody of your parents and your record cleared.”

“I shall release my “guest” and the information as soon as I see the decree from the Supreme Mugwump to that effect.”

“Are you certain that you wish to be a professor, Miss Blackwell, you would make a formidable barrister or politician! Your bargaining skills are incredible for someone who is only seventeen years old. That decree will be here momentarily.”

Elizabeth, with her barrister at her side, watched as the decree suddenly appeared, the Supreme Mugwump’s signature still drying on it.

“My part of the agreement shall take a bit longer than that,” she announced.

“Why is that, Miss Blackwell?”

“Well, I do not yet have my wand.”

“It shall be returned when we have your part of the agreement.”

“I’ll accept that condition. We need to travel to the home of my parents for the next part.”

Other than the Special Counsel, none of those present in the room were ready for suddenly appearing in the living room of Elizabeth’s home. The girl walked steadily to the portrait of Sebastian and then turned to the others before speaking.

“You’ll need to stay with me or be lost for a great while.”

The wizard in the portrait winked at her and then the passage was opened. They followed the girl until they suddenly appeared in her library. A short time later, Berbatov and the other dark wizard were being turned over to the Auror that had accompanied them and a bag was being handed to the member of the Supreme Mugwump’s staff. He looked into it to see volumes of parchment that contained information which would take a long time to go over.

“It’s all there,” she exclaimed, “all that you want to know about what I have been doing. I have the originals safely stored away for my own use, but you can have these copies.”

“Miss Blackwell, please tell me that you do not intend to carry out this lone crusade.”

“I cannot tell you that because I would be lying to a member of the court. I have my own reasons for wanting to defeat the Dark Lord and will not be swayed from them. Now, I have delivered on my part of the deal, may I have my wand please?”

The aged wizard looked at the bag and then the prisoners again before reaching into his robes and pulling out the girl’s wand. Elizabeth stepped forward and then accepted it to slip it back into her own robes.

“Now that we have settled this nasty little bit of business I assume that this whole matter is settled,” the Special Counsel announced as the captives were taken into Auror custody.

“You assume incorrectly, sir,” Elizabeth answered.

The bushy eyebrows of the wizard raised as the girl stepped in front of him.

“I do not understand, Miss Blackwell, I thought that we were finished here.”

“We are most definitely not finished here.”

“To what are you referring, Miss Blackwell?”

“The staff at Hogwarts, I understand that all of them were sacked, I should like that decision reversed and the staff restored to their posts.”

“They were removed…”

“They were removed for the very reason that I was to stand trial, the actions of a certain Dark Lord and his associates. I cannot and do not understand why the very good and kind staff of the school has been removed. They had nothing to do with any of this and the testimony of the parents that stood by my side should stand for them as well. In fact, I was handed a petition by a parent that contains the signatures of the parents of every student currently attending Hogwarts as well as the signatures of former students of Hogwarts demanding their return. The petition is quite lengthy, are the Wizengamot and Ministry of Magic prepared to defy the will of those who place them into office?”

The wizard stood quietly for a moment and then looked the girl in the eye before speaking once again.

“I again state that you would make a wonderful barrister or politician, Miss Blackwell. I shall certainly bring your concerns to the attention of not only the body which I serve, but also to the Governors of Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic. While I cannot guarantee a reversal of the decision, I can tell you that we shall take it under firm advisement and give the petition the full attention and consideration that it deserves.”

“Thank you, Special Counsel,” Elizabeth answered as she handed him a parchment that she had withdrawn from her robes.

“Now, Miss Blackwell, would you be so kind as to show us the way out of this wondrous place that you have created?”

Elizabeth nodded and turned to leave the room where her captives had been held. They walked through the labyrinthine paths of the rain forest until they arrived back in the library before stepping through the portrait and back into her home. She watched as they vanished with a POP and then settled down onto the couch while she laid a mirror that she had summoned aside and waited for what would come next.

What had just happened had been very real, but there was something off about the whole thing and she suspected that she could expect a visit from the followers of the Dark Lord, and soon. She relaxed while she ran her fingers over the wand that had been returned to her. Every inch, every slight imperfection in the wood was familiar and comforting to her and she was waiting for what came next as a POP sounded and a dark figure appeared before her while she remained seated on the couch.

“I was wondering when you would come, Father. Evidently I have gotten the attention of the bastard that fathered me and now you do me the honor of facing me at last.”

“You are formidable, Elizabeth, and it pains me that it has to be like this for me to acknowledge you as my daughter. I have not come to honor or accept you, Elizabeth, I have come to kill you and put an end to this nonsense.”

“I assumed that, Father, but I think that you, like Alecto Carrow, are going to find that I am much more than you can handle. I’ve been preparing for this day, Father, ever since that day in the graveyard when I couldn’t find your resting place. I knew then who I would face and now you’re here, making threats that you cannot possibly carry through with.”

“Do not feel so confident in that boast, Elizabeth, you are not a fully trained witch. You cannot know everything that you need to in order to preserve your life.”

“I know more than you know, Father, or should I say Marcus Beales-Armstrong? You are not even brave enough to show me your true face; instead you hide under that hood, too afraid to expose yourself to your daughter.”

Elizabeth watched with rapt fascination as the hands of the figure rose to push back the hood which had hidden its face in shadows to reveal a countenance that was horribly scarred and eyes that burned with an almost frightening intensity.

“Are you satisfied with what you see, Elizabeth?”

“It makes me pity you, Marcus Beales-Armstrong.”

The figure recoiled at her words and then rallied as he spoke once again.

“Your friend, Albus, believed as you do and now he is destroyed.”

Elizabeth started at this statement and looked at the smug face before her before speaking.

“I don’t believe you, Albus Potter is alive and well for if he were not I would have been informed.”

“You don’t believe me, your own father?”

“I’ll never believe anything that you say to me.”

“Very well, if you do not believe my words then believe this.”

The thing before her reached into his robes to withdraw a wand and then throw it onto the floor before her.

“Pick it up and examine it, Elizabeth, see that it once belonged to your friend, Albus Severus Potter. I took it from his corpse after killing him, pick it up and let it tell the whole tragic story. Once you have assured yourself of the truth then I shall kill you so that you can join him in death.”

“You lie!”

Elizabeth could feel her control slipping and it worried her. Was it true? Had this thing before her killed the wizard that she loved? Or was it a ploy to distract her from what she needed to do? She looked at the wand on the floor and then back into the eyes of the wizard before her. Then she shook her head and stood to rise to her full height, kicking the wand aside as she did so.

“It doesn’t matter, even if he is dead, I shall never yield to you.”

“Then he must have not been a true friend.”

Something within what he was saying rang as untrue and she decided to test him.

“He was a friend, and I will mourn his loss, but in the grand scheme of things all that matters is your destruction, Father.”

“Evidently not much of a friend if all that he warrants is mourning.”

“He was a schoolmate, nothing more.”

The eyes of the wizard before her became wary as the girl rallied and then steadied herself. He felt the reassuring form of the wand in his robes and then drew it out into the open before leveling it at the girl before him.

“You’re going to die now, Elizabeth, it is fitting that I began your life and now am about to end it.”

“At least let me draw my own wand, Father, or would you rather strike down a helpless person and a child at that.”

“Killing a child is nothing new to me, Elizabeth, your sister and her grandparents found that out this morning,” Marcus Beales-Armstrong said as a tear ran down his cheek. “They fought valiantly, but I destroyed them all in the end, just as I am about to destroy you.”

Elizabeth felt rage grow within her as she realized that he was telling the truth. Her little sister had been killed by their father without thought of the fact that she was a mere child, a first year. The wand that had rested in her hand suddenly lifted to face the thing before her just as she thrust the other hand downward quickly and the room was filled with an impenetrable blackness as the curse leapt from the wand of Marcus Beales-Armstrong and he screamed out his rage.

Knowing where he stood, Elizabeth cast her own curse at the man and was rewarded with a yelp of pain as the energy connected with its target. She hurled herself to the side as she prepared for his next attack and knew that very soon the next part of her plan would take place. He would dispel the darkness and then would face her again. She cast another spell and then another, not at him, but at herself.

The enraged wizard managed to dispel the Instant Darkness powder while also gripping the arm that her curse had struck. When the haze dissipated he found not one Elizabeth but five witches that faced him.

“So, you are as formidable as I had heard, excellent idea, Elizabeth, but none of these illusions shall save you.”

Marcus Beales-Armstrong hurled a curse at one of the figures before him only to see it leap out of the path of the magic. He stepped forward to press the attack as another of the doppelgangers lunged forward with wand drawn to attack. The magic that left the wand of the witch vanished as it reached him as he warded it off effortlessly while another Elizabeth attacked. Moving constantly, the figures kept him on the defensive and although the magic cast at him was harmless, he was unable to determine which of the images before him was the actual girl. She was stalling him, that was obvious, and he began to fear that the Aurors had been summoned to her aid.

A sudden movement behind him made him whirl in that direction and he came face to face with the girl just as she lashed out hard across his face. Stunned by the ferocity of the attack, he staggered backwards to step onto the wand that he had thrown onto the floor. The wooden shaft rolled under his foot and he fell onto the floor with a wondrous crash as the girl cast a simple spell that all first years knew.

_“Petrificus Totalus!”_

The man before her, that had been writhing on the floor as he attempted to rise, suddenly froze solid with only his eyes able to move. The girl rushed forward to seize the wand that was grasped in the rigid fingers of the fallen wizard. Only then did she step forward to use magic to pick up the wand that he had purported to be that of Albus Potter.

She knew the wand of her beloved Albus and the hateful aura that exuded from the one that was held in mid-air told her that this was not his. It had been a trap intended to snare her with a curse and she allowed it to fall to the floor just as the wizard that she had taken slowly vanished from her view with only laughter behind in his wake. The wand that she had taken from him vanished and the wand that lay on the floor crumbled to dust as she watched.

He had escaped.

She vanished with a POP to appear outside the remains of the once quaint cottage where she had encountered her paternal grandparents. The once peaceful scene was now one of devastation and the cottage in ruins while Aurors surveyed the scene. She spotted Harry and rushed towards him as healers from St. Mungos vanished with a stretcher containing a covered form. Harry turned to her and caught her to prevent her from entering the home while looking into her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Elizabeth, there is nothing that can be done. They’re gone, all of them are gone.”

“It was him, Harry; it was the Dark Lord, Marcus Beales-Armstrong! He did this, he killed these people.” Elizabeth wailed as she collapsed into his arms weeping uncontrollably.

“I know, Elizabeth, I know,” he responded as he held her tightly.  
“Albus?” she asked as the thought entered her mind and she looked into his eyes.

“Safe at home and angry that his mother won’t let him leave. He wanted to see you but we were afraid of what might happen.”

They watched as another, much smaller, covered form was removed from the house and Elizabeth broke free to rush to it. She placed her hand gently on the still form and then made a vow that shook all that heard it.

“You’ll be the next one that is removed covered by a sheet, Marcus Beales-Armstrong! I’m going to see to it personally.”


	33. Endings and Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth has come to light and Elizabeth has been vindicated. Now, as the threat lingers, promises are kept and vows made.

The headlines in the Daily Prophet screamed out the news, both the good and the bad.

**DARK LORD BELIEVED RESPONSIBLE FOR DEATHS OF FAMILY NEAR SUNNINGDALE!**

  
**MINISTRY AND GOVERNORS REVIEW DECISION TO REPLACE STAFF! FACULTY RETURNED TO POSTS, HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY TO REOPEN NEXT WEEK.**

  
**ELIZABETH BLACKWELL FOUND NOT GUILTY OF ALL CHARGES AND AGREES TO ASSIST OFFICE OF AURORS IN INVESTIGATION.**

Some reacted with relief at the news that the school would reopen with the established staff while others thought differently. Many believed that the staff should be replaced completely, especially those who believed in the sanctity of Pure-bloods only. Not surprisingly, these were the very same people who reacted strongly to the release of Elizabeth and her acquittal. Outrage was evident in the various groups that formed to voice their disagreement with the decision of the Wizengamot and the girl knew that she was in for, in some cases, a rather rude welcome when she ventured out.

Elizabeth looked at the first years that had filed into the classroom on the first day back and was saddened as she saw the seat that had been occupied by her younger sister only a few days before. She choked back a sob and the lump in her throat as she remembered the girl that she had come to love and now would never see again. The funeral had been hard to endure and she had been unable to function afterwards for several days and had only returned to school upon Professor McGonagall’s insistence.

Now she sat quietly in her seat while her mentor taught class. The confidence that the girl had felt at the hearing when she had faced the Special Counsel to the Wizengamot had faded. But when the first children had entered the classroom she felt much like a first year again, frightened and unsure of herself. The girl that had so willingly and aggressively faced the Dark Lord had vanished in a heartbeat and now this seemingly defeated person sat in her place.

Professor Minerva McGonagall, after finishing her presentation to the gathered students, walked to the table where the girl was marking parchments from the second year class. The lack of confidence that she displayed in facing the class was also evident while she examined the work before her. Her hand was unsteady and she seemed to be having difficulty concentrating on the parchments before her.

“Elizabeth, are you well?”

The girl looked up at the professor and shook her head as tears ran down her cheeks.

“I would like you to walk to the Hospital Wing and lay down for a while. You look terribly pale and I am concerned about you.”

“But these parchments…”

“The parchments can wait for later, Miss Blackwell, I am still a professor and you are still a student,” McGonagall responded softly to the argument, “and I wish for you to report to the Hospital Wing.”

“Yes, Ma’am, Professor McGonagall,” Elizabeth whispered as she rose and then walked out of the classroom, aware of the eyes that followed her exit.

Elizabeth walked the familiar path to the Hospital and then entered the room to make her way to a bed that already waited for her. The nurse watched as the clearly trembling and unsteady girl nearly collapsed before reaching the bed and rushed to her side to assist her onto it.

“Are you okay, Elizabeth?”

The blonde head shook as the teen settled onto the bed and then rolled over onto her side, putting her back to the other witch. The older woman could only watch as the shoulders of the girl began to shake and hear the sobs that escaped her. She placed her hand gently on the shoulder of the child to offer comfort as she realized that it was an ache of the heart and not an illness of the body that made Elizabeth suffer.

“Can I have something to help me sleep without dreaming? I don’t want to see it all again,” Elizabeth asked in a near whisper.

The nurse, despite her resistance to use such measures, walked away to return a short time later with a glass containing a purple liquid which she handed to the girl. Elizabeth took it without hesitation and swallowed the potion without complaint. A short time later, she was sound asleep while the nurse and Professor Leeds stood over her.

“You didn’t really give her Pain-B-Gone, did you?” Tobias Leeds asked.

'No, but she thought that I did. Her mind is still as sharp as it always has been, but the death of Victoria has done considerable damage. It will be a long time before she is as she was. Elizabeth Blackwell is heavily fractured, and I fear for her well-being.'

The girl on the bed had indeed managed to find a place in her mind where she was protected from the memories of the death of her sister and the assault by the father that they shared. Barriers that she had erected in her mind to stave off attacks from outside held strong despite repeated attempts at breaching them. Occasionally, one of the attacks would encounter a setback as the girl struck back with terrifying ferocity, leaving the unfortunate witch or wizard helpless for a long time afterward. This helplessness had allowed the girl to perform her own incursions and much information had been gleaned from the unwelcome visits.

While the girl slept, protected by the layers of will that she had erected, Marcus Beales-Armstrong paced the floor of the chamber that he occupied. The girl had been cleared of wrongdoing and was free to continue her pursuit of him and had nearly managed to thwart him. The idea terrified him. Had he not been able to escape she might have been able to destroy him or, at the very least, hold him until the Aurors arrived.

The Legilimens that had been tasked with penetrating the mind of the girl suddenly reeled from the chair that he was seated in as the girl lashed out at him with her mind. The eyes of the man were wide with the pupil large enough that his irises were nearly invisible. Realizing what was happening while he stood next to the wizard, Beales-Armstrong drew his wand and cast what some called unforgivable but in this instance he called necessary.

_“Avada Kedavra!”_

The writhing wizard on the floor fell still as the green light of the curse enveloped him and two lower ranked wizards hurried forward to remove the corpse from the presence of their master. The rooms which once would have been filled with the numbers of the faithful were now sparsely occupied. Their losses had been extreme and would be hard to replace as the Aurors moved to conduct sweeps to take the dark witches and wizards into custody. The days of plenty were ended.

He turned as another wizard entered the chamber and then nodded his assent that the man should speak.

“The Aurors under Harry Potter struck at Hangleton, five were taken into custody there while two others died fighting. No Aurors fell, my Lord, all left to strike again another day.”

“Do we have enough remaining to strike at the home of the girl?”

“No, my Lord, the home is too well protected. The Aurors are present constantly and the abilities of Artemis Trane are legendary. An attack on the home of Elizabeth Blackwell will not result in the satisfying ending that was experienced at the home of your parents. They were unprepared there, but the home of John Blackwell is ready for an assault.”

“The castle, can we infiltrate the castle once again?”

“No, my Lord, the potion that the girl created has allowed those responsible for its defense to see all truthfully. They would detect our advance before we could insinuate ourselves into the student body or as members of staff.”

“Then you are stating that the girl is outside our reach?”

“Yes, my Lord, for now she is out of our reach, to attack would lead to defeat for our cause. It may be wise to withdraw for now, to gather our forces from wherever they may be and regain our strength before we strike again.”

Marcus Beales-Armstrong glared at his advisor and then nodded reluctantly as the man faded from view. Then he turned and walked to a window that looked out onto a valley that was filled with snow covered trees.

“You have won for now, Elizabeth, but the war is not over. You shall spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder, wondering when I shall strike again, and I shall strike again. Maybe not today, and possibly not tomorrow, but I shall strike again! You can be certain of it!”

He turned to stalk out of the room, quite aware of the underlings that hurried to get out of his path lest they incur his wrath. A swirling cloud of smoke enveloped him and when it cleared all that remained was a stark and cold stone wall.

Elizabeth awoke several hours later to find Lily and Beatrice sitting on stools next to her bed. She opened her eyes and blinked several times to be certain of what she was actually seeing. A huge group of students was gathered around her, Meredith Weasley and Alexis Malfoy near the front as they watched anxiously for her to wake up.

“Are you okay, Elizabeth?” Meredith asked before anyone else could.

“Yes, but how are you here, Meredith?”

“Silly, I told you before; the elves helped me, just like they did you.”

Elizabeth groaned as she settled back onto the pillow and closed her eyes again before reopening them to be sure of what she was seeing.

“Elizabeth,” Lily began, “the whole school is behind you. We don’t care what adults who don’t know how you saved the school think. If you hadn’t made that potion a lot of people would probably be dead right now. Right now, as far as EVERYONE here thinks about you, there is no more Gryffindor or Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw or Slytherin, there is just Hogwarts! The whole story is out, I mean everything about it and now everyone knows who Patricia really was. It made the people who hate you feel really stupid when they found out that you had uncovered some of the most wanted Death Eaters left over from Voldemort’s time right here at Hogwarts. They also know who the Dark Lord is and want to help you catch him.”

“Then they know that he’s my father, don’t they?”

“Yeah, they know, and they don’t think that it’s your fault. Who can help who their father is and what he does?”

Elizabeth looked around the room again, especially at the nearly exasperated nurse that was trying futilely to shoo the throng out of the room. She watched in horror as the woman, at her wit’s end, stalked across the room to open a cabinet and pull out a very familiar bottle. The nurse drew her wand and placed it to her throat to make a very stern and clear announcement.

“Anyone who is still in this room when I get the stopper out gets a dose of this!”

The Pain-B-Gone had the desired effect and suddenly became Students-B-Gone as the group seemed to evaporate and only the echo of their receding footsteps remained. Lily and Beatrice, tempting the odds, remained at the side of their friend while they watched the witch warily. The nurse, satisfied with the very small number that remained with Elizabeth, replaced the bottle in the cabinet and walked back to her desk to allow the friends to talk.

“You both must be true friends,” Elizabeth remarked.

“Why do you say that? We’ve been your friends since we were second years.”

Elizabeth looked at Lily and then answered the question.

“You stuck around even after she pulled out that bottle.”

“Personally, Elizabeth,” Beatrice responded, “I thought about running too.”

The girl in the bed looked at her friend with wide eyes and then at the red head sitting next to her. Lily was nodding her agreement at Beatrice’s statement.

“You were going to abandon me too, Lily?”

“ _Well, it was Pain-B-Gone!”_

Elizabeth sat for a moment with her mouth open before she and the other girls started laughing. The nurse looked at them with irritation and then glanced at the door to the room in astonishment as an unexpected person walked through it. The girls were still laughing when Elizabeth’s eyes widened and she shrieked with happiness as Albus stepped around the screen. He stepped up to the bed and caught the girl in his arms as she almost flew from the bed to meet him. They held onto each other tightly as they kissed each other repeatedly and looked into each other’s eyes.

“Beth,” Albus said as he ran his free hand through her hair, “you are the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen. “I’ve really missed doing this.”

The girl in his arms kissed him again as she looked into his eyes.

“I’ve missed you, too.”

“Are you feeling better now?”

“You, my dear, are the best medicine that I could have ever asked for.”

“Since you appear to feel better, Miss Blackwell,” the nurse cut in as she stood next to them, “can I assume that you are ready to return to class?”

“Yes,” she answered, “I think that I can do that.”

Elizabeth and her friends walked out of the room to make their way to the Great Hall where the mid-day meal was being served. More than a few surprised looks followed Albus as he made his way, along with the girls back to the seats that they always occupied. Tobias Leeds watched with a smile as the young wizard settled down into the seat next to the witch that he loved so that they could enjoy the meal together.

Elizabeth and her friends were preparing to enjoy the meal when another familiar voice interrupted them.

“Is there room for me here at the Gryffindor table?”

Elizabeth looked up to see Rose standing before them and stood to reach across the table to hug her friend. They sat down to resume the lively chatter as Tobias Leeds rose and walked to the lectern to speak.

“As we are all together again, including some faces from the past,” he paused to look at Albus and Rose, “we are very pleased to see Elizabeth Blackwell among us again. Miss Blackwell risked much to save this school and its students from grave danger at the hands of the followers of the Dark Lord. She was very nearly imprisoned in Azkaban for her efforts to bring that nefarious fiend into the hands of the Aurors and this all has cost her much, much more than we can ever hope to repay. As grateful as we are to see Elizabeth’s return, we are also saddened by the loss of Victoria Beales-Armstrong, who was murdered, along with her grandparents, by the Dark Lord.”

Elizabeth bowed her head as she felt tears begin their trip down her cheek and then raised it as she realized that she was not the only one sobbing. She was stunned to see tears on many other faces, including some at the table of Salazar Slytherin.

“The Aurors assure me that the Dark Lord and his followers shall be hunted down, that they shall be brought into custody and that they shall be punished for all of the pain that they have caused others. We know this to be true, for the Aurors protect us even now, although we cannot see them and we are forever grateful for this.”

“We are also grateful for Miss Blackwell’s skillful defense of not only herself, but also the staff of Hogwarts and her efforts to reunite a family which surely would have been sundered had she not held to her principles and demanded what she felt was right. Thank you for everything that you have done for this school, its students and staff, Elizabeth Michelle Blackwell, we likely would not be here if it were not for you.”

A thundering round of applause rumbled through the Great Hall as the students, staff and guest rose to thank the girl who had done so much for them. Elizabeth looked up toward the ceiling and was stunned to see not the banner of the House Cup champions from the term before the banner of Hogwarts. When the applause ended and the students were seated once more, Tobias Leeds stepped aside and the girl realized that he wanted her to speak. She hesitantly rose and then walked to the front of the chamber, after receiving a dose of courage via a kiss from Albus.

She blushed as all eyes watched and then made her way to the recently vacated lectern.

“I would do it all again without hesitation for any of you. Someone told me that there is no more Gryffindor or Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw or Slytherin and the banners overhead bear this out. We are much stronger now that we are just Hogwarts, for united against those that would destroy our school and imprison us with fear we are unbeatable! Victoria was my sister and I shall remember her forever as a dear, sweet child that did not deserve what happened to her. But Marcus Beales-Armstrong, our father, is the Dark Lord, and I shall never forget what he has done to so many and what he wishes to take from us all. Victoria paid the ultimate price for her battle against him; we know this because her wand told the Aurors a story about a first year girl who did everything that she could to fight against a coward who meant to destroy her. We here, all of us, can do no less if called upon to do the same, for failing to do so sullies her memory and gives strength to our enemy. Yes, the Dark Lord is my father, but that fact shall not stop me from dueling with him and destroying him in her name.”

Another thunderous roar echoed through the Great Hall and then wands began to rise as their tips glowed and a challenge was issued to the Dark Lord, Hogwarts was united as one House and would not be taken easily.

Elizabeth left the lectern and walked back to her seat, conscious that she had become a rallying point, a lightning rod to which all would gather to defend their school. She sat down next to Albus and kissed him again before he spoke to her and told her something that she hadn’t wanted to hear.

“I left Ollivander’s. I don’t want to be a wand maker.”

“But, I thought that was your dream. I thought that you had always wanted to do that.”

“I did, but I have changed my mind.”

Fear crept into her mind as she realized what he was going to say and she looked at him pleadingly.

“Please, Albus, no, not that.”

“I want to be an Auror, Elizabeth. They tried to kill the girl that I love and I won’t have them trying again. I’ve already talked to my parents, they were against it like you are, but they gave in finally.”

“But, you could be killed, Albus.”

“I know, but I can’t let them get to you, you’re too important to me. I love you too much for anything to happen to you.”

“Albus, if you care about me at all, please don’t.”

“Beth, you’ve risked your life I don’t know how many time and I don’t want to know how many, for all of us. You risked going to Azkaban for us, why I don’t know. You even talked about becoming an Auror yourself. Is my becoming one any different?”

“No,” she answered as a tear ran down her cheek, “but we are living in very scary times. He’ll be back, I know that he will, and people are going to die. People are going to die and I don’t want it to be people that I love. It’s bad enough when it is people that I don’t know, even if they’re Muggles, but if it is someone that I know and love I think that I would die of a broken heart.”

“I want to do it for you and your sister. Your little sister fought him with everything that she knew. Victoria knew that she could never win, but she fought him anyway. She fought him for you, Elizabeth, because she knew that he would go after you next. She died to protect you and if that’s what it takes, that’s what I will do too.”

“Albus…” she answered as she leaned against him to bury her face against his chest as he put his arms around her.

“I know, Beth, I know, and I love you too. I just want to do all that I can to protect you.”

“Then please do something for me now, Albus, do something so that we’re together forever.”

“What?”

“Marry me now, Albus Severus Potter. Marry me now so that I know that my husband is there, by my side, no matter what happens.”

“What about your family? What will they say?”

“I don’t think that they will argue in the least.”

“Then yes, Elizabeth Michelle Blackwell, I will marry you as soon as we can.”

“Right here at Hogwarts?”

“Right here at Hogwarts!”

Their conversation overheard by many, excited whispers spread through the Great Hall as the news spread, there was going to be a wedding and right here at Hogwarts.

“And we’re going to invite everyone here to it?”

“Everyone is more than welcome.”

They rose, hand in hand as Elizabeth raised her wand to her throat and then made an announcement which brought an even louder thunder of applause to the Great Hall.

“If the news hasn’t already reached you, Albus and I are getting married; right here at Hogwarts and everyone is invited, because you’re all family! And it is happening as soon as is possible.”

_Two Days Later_

The young couple, hand in hand, stood at the front of the Great Hall while the ceremony took place while the packed room watched. Gone for now were the tables, they would be back soon enough and filled with food for the celebration. In their place, row upon row of chairs bore the guests that watched as the girl, whom some of those present had previously hated, married the son of the Boy-Who-Lived.

Elizabeth, clad in white robes and with small blue flowers in her blonde hair, lifted her blue eyes to look into the eyes of the wizard she was marrying as he placed a ring on her finger. John and Victoria watched as their child wed the child of the couple sitting next to them, sealing their families together forever.

Lily, Beatrice, Rose, Hugo and James sat quietly as they watched it all unfold and remembered all that had occurred here at the castle and wondered how much more might happen. When the ceremony finally concluded, the young couple turned to face the gathered guests smiling as the Supreme Mugwump announced them to all.

“I would very much like to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Albus Potter! Please join me in congratulating them!”

The young couple smiled broadly as the crowd rose to applaud and then turned to kiss each other once again.

After that, smiles were plentiful and hugs were numerous and nowhere in the castle was there conflict. The meal that followed was joyous and finally, once the well-wishers had receded Albus and Elizabeth faced their families.

“We are so happy for you two,” Amanda Trane announced.

“Thank you, Grandmother.”

“Does this mean that we get to call this young man our grandson?”

Elizabeth looked at her grandfather and smiled as she nodded.

“You’re not getting rid of him now! He’s all mine!”

Ginny stepped forward to hug her new daughter-in-law before kissing her gently on the cheek.

“Welcome to our family, Elizabeth! Even though you were basically already a part of it all along, what with as much time as you spent with Lily and her brother.”

“Lily is so happy to finally get a sister,” Harry added as he hugged the young woman.

“She told me that already, Harry. Thank you so much for your support.”

“It was my pleasure Elizabeth and, now that you’re married to my son, please call me Dad when you feel comfortable with it.”

The girl smiled and kissed him on the cheek before nodding her agreement.

John and Harry looked at each other and smiled as they shook hands.

“I guess that we’re family now, Harry,” John said quietly. “I want to thank you for protecting our little girl.”

“She really didn’t need much protecting, John. She did most of it all by herself.”

Elizabeth and her mother stepped off by themselves and Victoria looked into the eyes of her younger daughter.

“I am so sorry that Anne didn’t come, Elizabeth. We let her know about the wedding, but she has her heels dug in.”

“It’s okay, Mom, I understand, hopefully someday she will come around and then we can be a family again.”

“We can only hope so.”

The women hugged once again and then returned to the party which would last all night.


	34. Finals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth and her friends prepare to take their final exams for the term while they discuss their coming last year and life beyond that.

The remaining weeks of the term passed swiftly and Teaching Assistant Elizabeth Potter swiftly made her presence known in the classroom, presenting challenging projects for her students. Minerva McGonagall watched with pride as the young woman that had come to her as a frightened girl stood proudly in front of yet another class to deliver her lecture to the second years in front of her.

“Tomorrow, we shall conclude our studies and take the end of term examination. As you study your notes I suggest that you pay particular attention to the lessons concerning improper use of Transfiguration and the legal ramifications of it. Part of the exam will include the possible penalties issued by the Ministry of Magic up to and including time in Azkaban. Be prepared also to perform a transfiguration that you shall draw at random. No one shall know what their project will be until that moment.”

The faces of the students before her showed that she had them convinced of her resolve. They rose at the end of the class to walk out of the room to journey to their next lessons. The first years stepped into the room a short time later to find a written lesson on the board for them. Several gasped as they read what was intended for them but quickly drew their wands to begin their tasks while Elizabeth prowled the aisles between the seats.

The twins, normally a source of frustration for the Prefects, sat quietly while they attempted the lesson and being quite aware of the propensity of the witch that was watching them for issuing detentions that were never pleasant. The class knew that Elizabeth would be largely responsible for the exam that they were about to take to end the term and none of them relished the thought of doing poorly on it. The teaching assistant had woven a terrible tale about the student who did badly enough to have the work on their exam labeled that of a troll.

Satisfied that they were hard at work, Elizabeth walked back up to her table and sat down on the chair that waited for her. While she sat there she thought about the fact that she was nearing the end of her sixth year. She would finish at Hogwarts at the end of the next term and, before that, face the N.E.W.T.S before leaving school. The coming summer would change things, however, she was a married woman now and she would soon prepare to set up housekeeping in the home that Albus now owned. The days of waking up in the home of her parents would soon end and now she could look forward to the future.

He was still out there, her father Marcus Beales-Armstrong was still out there, looking and waiting for an opportunity to strike. The Aurors had been conducting massive sweeps and, although they had suffered some losses, had done immeasurable damage to the forces opposing them. The Dark Lord was on the defensive and would have a hard time mounting any major offensives for a very long time. Many believed that he might try to make his way to Bulgaria or even the United States to rebuild his forces and gather followers. Elizabeth hated the thought of that because it meant that unprepared people, both magical and Muggle, were at his mercy.

The ring on her finger that accompanied the ring that Albus had given her at the end of the previous term brought her back to the realization that her new husband would be on the front line of the battle. Albus was even now beginning his training to become an Auror and she feared for him, Marcus Beales-Armstrong knew that the young wizard was dear to her and would use that. He knew that he could harm his daughter by harming Albus and Elizabeth understood that he would not hesitate to do so. As much as she hated to admit it, Elizabeth knew that in the end, one of them was going to have to kill the other. Either she or her father would die and the other would be responsible for that death because once that final battle began there would, and could, be no quarter given, someone was going to die.

The sounds of applause reached her and she realized that the first years had managed their tasks. She rose and then spoke to them in words that chilled all of them.

“You need to study your notes tonight in preparation for the final exam of the term tomorrow. There will also be a transfiguration that you will perform. It will be a random task and no one will know what they are doing until the time it occurs. I must caution you that you will be using special quills that prevent cheating, so leave yours in your dorms. No other quills will work and may, in fact, burst into flames which will stain you brilliant green for weeks. All who see you will know that you attempted to cheat in class. You are dismissed.”

She watched as the group rose to depart and became aware of Professor Minerva McGonagall standing at her side with a bemused look on her face.

“Mrs. Potter, I must say that that is going to take some getting used to, I was not aware of the unfortunate events that might occur if they attempt to use a different quill. Have you cast some sort of enchantment to cause this?”

“No, Professor McGonagall, I haven’t, but they don’t know that.”

Minerva McGonagall smiled at the younger witch before hugging her.

“You know, I might have to stave off retirement until I see your children here. I can only imagine what a Blackwell/Potter mix might be like.”

Elizabeth smiled and then spoke.

“I’m afraid that it may be a long time before you see the first one. Albus and I have agreed to hold off on starting our family until the Dark Lord is brought to an end.”

“Elizabeth, do not allow him to affect your life any more than he already has. You and young Mister Potter have long been two of my favorites and I was thrilled when you married, please do not make me wait too long for those children.”

“I promise, Professor McGonagall, that you will be one of the first to know when I learn that there is going to be a baby.”

The witches hugged as Elizabeth hurried to grab her things to walk to class. She joined Lily and Beatrice in the corridors, which were remarkably quiet other than the sounds of quiet conversation and footsteps. The Prefects had found their jobs eased and had been having no problem with accepting the development.

“Ready to go to Herbology,” Lily asked as they walked.

“Who wouldn’t be?” Beatrice answered. “Finals today and no class after that, how can it get any better?”

“Summer time,” Elizabeth answered dreamily.

“You just can’t wait to spend all summer with my brother,” Lily retorted.

“That’s the beauty of being married, Lily. We can snog all that we want and no one can say anything about it.”

Lily’s eyes widened at the statement while her friend laughed.

“Maybe,” she responded as they walked, “there will be an announcement at the end of the summer.”

“Lily, no, you can get that out of your mind,” Elizabeth answered sternly. “There will not be any announcements about a baby for a long time. I have to finish next term before we even think about that.”

“I can just see it already! Just imagine me, an aunt, holding a baby in my arms, cuddling him or her and spoiling them rotten for you and my brother to deal with.”

“Lily!”

“It’s going to be so much fun making them rotten.”

“Lily!”

“And if you have twins, Lily and I can have lots of fun spoiling them both,” Beatrice added. “Two aunts doing what comes natural when they’re holding babies.”

“Maybe it will be a boy and a girl, then we can have all sorts of fun,” Lily concluded.

“You two are hopeless,” Elizabeth finally responded as they reached their destination. They walked through the open door to find an envelope for each of them floating above their normal workstations. Their final was within the envelope and they carefully opened them to reveal their task. All groaned immediately as they read the neat script which told them where to report and what to do. Elizabeth blanched as she realized that she had to deal with the Amazonian Red-Leafed Serpenticulars and walked towards the plants with her head hung. Her friends parted, one to the Mandrakes and the other to the Siberian Saw Grass, a rather strange plant that could, once mature, be used to cut gems to the specifications needed by a witch or wizard. The plants were hazardous as they were extremely sharp and required just as much caution as the Mandrakes, now fully grown, did.

Elizabeth set upon her chore of harvesting some of the writhing tentacles for use in Potions class. It didn’t harm the plants; in fact, it made them grow more quickly as the dead ends of the tentacles were shorn away. She had to be very careful around them because she didn’t want an abrupt trip to the Hospital Wing. The basket that she had to fill floated in front of her and she had the chore done just before Neville Longbottom called the class concluded and told them to have a wonderful break.

“Are you okay, Elizabeth?” Lily asked as they walked towards the Gryffindor Common Room to study.

“Yeah, I’m just glad that I don’t have to deal with those things for a while. They really kind of drive me mental.”

“Is that what your problem is?” Beatrice asked as she laughed at her friend.

“Do you want to be pink with feathers, Beatrice?”

Beatrice looked at the expression on her friend’s face and the rock steady wand that was in Elizabeth’s hand and then stopped laughing. She gulped loudly and then the three of them laughed again as they entered the room that they sought. Tiger came running to his owner and Elizabeth bent to scoop up her pet and cuddle him in her arms as she settled onto the couch.

“You have to know that school is just about done for the term,” she whispered to the cat. “You just won’t understand the changes at home.”

“What have your parents and grandparents said about you getting married early?” Lily asked.

“They know why we did it,” Elizabeth responded, “and they know what is at stake. I can’t live without your brother and what is coming might claim one, or even both, of us.”

“You know that I am teasing about a baby, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I know, and don’t think that we haven’t considered a child. If something should happen to one of us, at least a child would be something left behind to remind the other.”

“You really think that he will come back, don’t you?”

“Yes, he’s going to come back. I beat him once and would have had him if he hadn’t escaped, but I have to beat him again to avenge Victoria. It has to be me, no one else.”

“But if you have a baby or are pregnant, what then?”

“Have you ever heard about how dangerous a bear is when it has a cub?”

“Yeah, who hasn’t?” Beatrice asked.

“If I’m defending my child I will be worse than a mother bear. I won’t hesitate to kill him.”

“Your own father, you would kill him?”

“Beatrice, he’s my father, not my Dad, I owe him nothing except repayment for killing my sister. John Blackwell, my Dad, is the man who raised me and loves me and protects me, Marcus Beales-Armstrong did nothing but give me life and tear my family asunder for a while. He means nothing to me but hatred and destruction.”

Elizabeth ran her fingers through Tiger’s fur once again as the cat rolled over to display his belly for her to tickle. The girls giggled at the antics of the cat and Elizabeth felt at ease for the first time in a very long time. They sat and talked until they finally rose to walk to Potions class and the finals that awaited them.

Hours later, once the evening meal was concluded, tired students wandered back to their common rooms and dorms to begin to unwind. It had been a long term for many and all were grateful to see it coming to an end. The appearance of the boards which would announce their standing on the finals told them that it was for real and the sixth years crowded around it to see their marks for both Potions and Herbology. Groans of disappointment and squeals of excitement sounded as students found their names and their scores.

Her confidence at a high point, Elizabeth stepped forward to see her name appear behind both classes and her standing. While she wasn’t best in class in either, she had done well enough that her candidacy for Head Girl was strong and her place as a Teaching Assistant and best in class standing in Transfiguration bolstered the case for her success. She had managed to pull off a nearly flawless transfiguration of an extremely difficult nature that had left many in her year ready to collapse in tears. For her the term was all but done and she looked forward to ending it on a high note.

She was preparing to walk away when she was alerted by a squeal from Lily and a sudden grab of her arm. Turning back to the board, she saw that the results from Flying Practice had appeared and she moved closer to scan for her name. Her eyes lit up as she saw that she, the girl who hated to fly, had managed to get best in class. She squealed loudly and clapped her hands as she hopped up and down.

“I actually got best in class in Flying, I can’t believe it!” she announced to her friend.

“You deserve it, flying that old Nimbus and pulling off what you did, not to mention surviving that crash at the end,” Lily answered.

“All that’s left is Defense against the Dark Arts, and then we’re done with our sixth year.”

“I know, but I hear that the exam is a real headache,” Beatrice responded.

“So what else is different?” Elizabeth remarked as she looked at her friend.

The girls joined the crowd that was abandoning the common room to journey to their dorms and soon were snuggled under the covers as they relaxed for the night. The next day would be busy and none of them wanted to be unrested for what was to come.  
Hogwarts Castle soon settled down to a quiet place as students vanished to their Houses and the Prefects on patrol found that there was very little need for them. At this stage in the term not many wanted to get into trouble with Professor Leeds and all were trying to get as much sleep as they could as they prepared for the end of the term.

Tiger woke his owner as the first of the other girls in the dorm began to stir and Elizabeth rose to hurry to the showers and then to dress. There was a lot to do today and she wanted to be ready for the finals that she would help present in Transfiguration and the one that she herself would take in Defense against the Dark Arts.

She watched in the mirror as the brush ran through her hair and perfectly placed her hair in her favored arrangement. Other girls were busy with that as well and Elizabeth wondered how Muggle girls did it without the use of magic. She had tried many times and never had been able to get a satisfactory result, although she was getting better at it. Finally she walked away from the mirror and then on down to the Great Hall where many students were forgoing breakfast to frantically cram for the final that they were about to take.

The seventh years looked especially harried because they had their N.E.W.T.s to go through and would be testing in this very chamber in a short time. Their only break would come when the room was needed for the mid-day meal and then, once that was done, would resume the testing. When those tests were finished they would be finished with their studies and know how well prepared they were for life outside of Hogwarts.

Along with her friends, Elizabeth sat down to examine her own notes for Defense against the Dark Arts while enjoying breakfast pastries and fresh pumpkin juice. The room was uncharacteristically quiet, with only the only sounds being the occasional conversations that ended when they were swiftly squelched by other students that were trying to study.

All too soon the bell in the tower rang and students other than seventh years rose to walk to the final classes of the term. As the last student exited, leaving the beleaguered older students behind, the massive door closed and then locked. Entry was not possible for another student, not that they really wanted to enter anyway, they had enough problems of their own to think about.

Elizabeth hurried to the Transfiguration Classroom to watch the already deflated second years enter. She bade them all good morning as they passed and watched as they settled down to pull out their notes for last minute cramming. As the last of them entered the room, the door closed behind them as she walked to the front of the room to speak.

“You shall have a few minutes to review your notes before the exam begins. Once it does, your notes and quills will vanish leaving only the exam and a special quill on your desk. When you have finished with the written part of the exam lay your quill aside. You will have only a minute before it vanishes, so make certain that you are truly finished. Then you need to draw from three envelopes to determine which transfiguration you are doing. You have the remainder of class at that time to complete it satisfactorily. Failure to do so will result in a poor mark. Are there any questions?”

She scanned the room and, once she saw no hands in the air, turned to walk back to her table. A short time later, almost instantly the students thought, the notes and quills vanished to be replaced by testing materials. The students set about their task, some quickly, others hesitantly, as the clock in the tower slowly ticked away the time. Elizabeth turned her attentions to her own studies, no need to watch for cheating, the quills did that for her.

A short time later, although Elizabeth had quite lost track of its passage, a parchment and quill appeared before her and she glanced up to see a second year Gryffindor drawing an envelope from a group that had appeared in the air before him. She rose to walk the child to the room next door and then supervised his attempts at the complex transfiguration. He as not alone for long as students began to trickle into the room to begin their own tasks. As each one entered their work area a curtain went up around them to prevent distraction by others. The curtain would fall once a correct transfiguration took place. A girl from Hufflepuff entered one of these curtains and a short time later the curtain was gone and a perfectly formed creature stood proudly where an earthworm had been before. Elizabeth nodded her satisfaction and watched as the egret became an earthworm again.

The young witch knew when the students were all within the room as Professor McGonagall entered the room to assist with the supervision. Not long after that the bells in the tower began to sound and the curtains fell, leaving some students far short of a successful outcome. Elizabeth and Professor McGonagall walked around the room to examine the products of their efforts and then dismissed the students. Some had not done well at all and their marks would reflect that.  
Elizabeth watched as the next group of students, the first years, entered the classroom before giving them instructions like those that the second years had received. The students hurried to begin examining their notes and their moans were quite audible when their notes vanished and the exams appeared.

Elizabeth spent the first few minutes prowling the aisles and then retreated to her table to examine the results from the previous class. Her marking quill was quite busy and she watched as parchment after parchment left the pile that needed to be marked and then joined the pile that had been scored. She watched also as the score of each student appeared on the listing for the second years and was quite pleased at the very small number of poor marks. The exams vanished and then the lists vanished to appear in the various common rooms. The girl from Hufflepuff had managed to get the honor of best in class and Elizabeth smiled as she thought about the child.

The first years soon began to rise and Professor McGonagall led them to the other classroom to perform their transfigurations. For the first time that class period, Elizabeth looked at the space where Victoria had always been seated and the sixth year felt a tear run down her cheek as she thought about her lost sister.

The class ended soon enough and Elizabeth watched as the next class entered. She had only the one final to take and could spare the time to watch the third years take their finals. Their final was tough, they knew enough to allow this and they soon whipped through the written portion to face the trials in the other classroom. Loud groans emanated as they realized the task before them and it was not long before they were making attempts to produce Abraxan to join the one that Elizabeth had conjured. It was not long before winged horses were appearing to join hers and, as each one appeared and was accepted, the student responsible returned it to its original form and then was allowed to leave the classroom for the final time that term.

Elizabeth watched them leave with a tinge of sadness as she realized that she would not enter this room again this term. Her own time for finals was approaching and she would walk to the library to study with her friends before making the journey to the Great Hall for the mid-day meal. From there she would walk to the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom to take her final exam as a sixth year.

The quiet corridors seemed to stretch on forever and she finally arrived at the library to find Lily and Beatrice waiting for her.

“You’re moving slow today,” Lily commented.

“Three hours of watching others take finals does that to you.”

“Yuck.”

The old librarian appeared as the girls opened their notes to settle down to quiet review. She watched Elizabeth suspiciously as she remembered the incident with the book earlier in the term. Through a process of elimination over the term she had finally come to the conclusion that the girl was responsible. She watched the young witch for a moment and then walked away.

“Do you think that she figured it out?” Lily asked as she watched the librarian disappear.

“Who cares?” Elizabeth responded.

The girls settled back down to the task at hand and soon were rising to leave the room. They were almost to the door when the old witch called out to Elizabeth.

“Elizabeth Potter, I need to speak to you please.”

“Nice knowing you, Elizabeth,” Beatrice said under her breath.

Elizabeth turned and walked back to the desk that the old witch sat behind.

“Can I help you?”

_“Please refrain from using a sticking charm in my library from now on.”_

Elizabeth watched in amazement as the woman winked at her and then returned the gesture before leaving the room with a smile on her face. She caught up with her friends and they chatted happily as they walked to the Great Hall and lunch.

“You know,” Lily stated as they entered, “next term it will be us taking the N.E.W.T.s and I have heard that they’re terrible.”

A seventh year girl emerged from the large room and ran for the nearest lavatory with her hand over her mouth. The trio of girls watched her flee and then stared with wide eyes as the remainder of the seventh years exited the room with sighs of relief or anguish. They entered the large room to see the tables in place and hurried to their own seats.

“Here’s to one last mid-day at Hogwarts this term,” Beatrice announced as a goblet filled with pumpkin juice appeared before her and she raised it.

Her friends raised their own goblets in answer to her toast as many others entered the room to join them.


	35. A Summer of Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth and others prepare for the summer and the changes that shall come with it.

The next morning the students rose to a day which held several promises. The seventh years were finished and would go through the ceremony which would conclude their studies, after which they would be free to depart whenever they wished although many would remain to see the awarding of the House Cup.

Elizabeth walked down to the common room after watching her things vanish into her trunk. Tiger’s cage sat on the floor while it awaited his entry and then transport to the Hogwarts Express for the trip to King’s Cross. The large boards with the finals scores still stood where they had overnight and she looked again at the Best in Year score behind her name in Defense against the Dark Arts. The final in that class had been brutal and all had left the room nearly sick to their stomachs. Lily had been a very close second to her and only three points had separated them in their contest.

Her best friend was suddenly at her side and they smiled as they looked at the strange sight of one another in traveling clothes instead of school robes. Denim jeans would be most of the uniform of the day and the girls knew that they would not be alone.

“You know, Elizabeth, next year it will be us leaving forever at the end of the term. Well, maybe not you, since you are going to be a junior professor someday.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s going to be really sad not walking up here every day and going through the portrait of the Fat Lady to get in. And someone else will be staying in our dorm and sleeping in our beds, but I won’t mind because they’ll get to have some of the same fun that we have. I just hope that they meet friends as good as the ones that I did. I never could have made it as far as I did without you, Rose and Beatrice.”

“You’re not going to go all soggy on me, are you?” Lily asked with mock annoyance as she noticed a tear in Elizabeth’s eye.

“No,” Elizabeth responded as she rallied and forced a smile, “I was just thinking about Victoria and all of the adventures that she’ll never get to have.”

The girls hugged and then joined Beatrice as she made her way toward the Great Hall for the final time that term. They found the halls noisier than normal but soon reached their destination to see the seventh year ceremony over and the robes that this year’s finishing class had chosen to wear. They settled down at their seats to watch Peeves as he tormented a boy that he had enjoyed picking on for seven years. The poltergeist happened to turn to see Elizabeth watching him with disapproval and flitted away to find other mischief to get into.

When all were seated Professor Leeds stepped up to the lectern to present the academic awards and many were surprised when Elizabeth didn’t receive awards that many assumed she would. She stayed seated quietly until a roar of applause gained her attention and she saw Harry Potter walk to the front of the Great Hall. He stepped up to the lectern and was suddenly joined by the Supreme Mugwump as well as the Minister of Magic, who had just appeared with a POP.

“A few weeks ago,” Harry began, “this school and all of you were in very grave danger. If not for the selfless actions of one person who is sitting here right now a number of you might not be. Elizabeth Blackwell-Potter placed herself in very great danger and showed remarkable resourcefulness in combatting this danger and the Office of the Aurors is grateful for her efforts.”

“Without the efforts of Mrs. Blackwell-Potter it is very likely that great harm would have come to this school and its students,” the Supreme Mugwump continued, “the potion that she created and distributed allowed the capture of many wanted dark witches and wizards, some of them dating to the time of Voldemort. She bested the Dark Lord at great risk to herself and, for now, his forces are considered unable to carry out the acts of terror that they were.”

“Elizabeth Michelle Blackwell-Potter faced the persecution normally reserved for a criminal and emerged from it unscathed,” the Minister of Magic added. “She defeated Alecto Carrow in a duel to the death and then managed to defeat the Dark Lord in a duel that only ended when that fiend managed to escape. Marcus Beales-Armstrong is now wanted all over our world and will not remain free indefinitely; he will be brought to justice so that all may breathe easier. Thank you, Elizabeth, our world owes you much.”

“Last term, after the defeat of Gabriel Koeppler, Elizabeth was recognized for her bravery and now it is fitting that we do the same,” Harry announced. “Elizabeth, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Office of the Aurors, combined with the Ministry of Magic, award you this sash which proclaims you as a Guardian of Peace. Please join us up here to be recognized and applauded.”

The girl rose as applause seemed to rock the great room and walked to the lectern where Harry waited. He stepped forward to place it over her head and then her shoulder to come to rest across her body.

“Thank you, Elizabeth, for protecting us all amid great peril on your own part.”

Elizabeth turned to face the room and the applause before returning to her seat and friends. She returned to the front of the room a short time later as the academic scroll was awarded to her and finally sat waiting with rapt anticipation, along with all others as Professor Leeds prepared to award the House Cup.

“This term has tested us all in so many ways and it has cost us as well. The loss of a student is always tragic and when it is a first year that is lost it becomes especially tragic. Victoria Beales-Armstrong was a wonderful student, always smiling and wanting to learn. If all in our world were like her we would not need Aurors. The House Cup competition is always a journey and this one was no exception, but this year it was made rather interesting by events which occurred.”

“Unbeknown to one of you here, all of the members of all of the Houses voted for the House which most deserved to win. The vote was overwhelming with no votes of dissension and I am happy to announce the winner as Gryffindor House for the efforts of Elizabeth Blackwell-Potter to protect this school and all who reside here. Therefore, Gryffindor House is awarded the House Cup.”

Applause broke out again as the Hogwarts banners became the Gryffindor Crimson and there wasn’t an angry face anywhere in the room. The final meal appeared before them and all settled down to eat, although many journeyed to other parts of the room to eat with friends that weren’t members of their House.

Elizabeth and her friends rose along with many others at the end of the meal and the girl was nearly to the door of the room when a voice behind her caught her attention.

“Elizabeth!”

She turned to see Professor McGonagall and stepped toward her favorite teacher to speak to her while Lily and Beatrice waited.

“You have proven yourself so strong this year and I am so proud of you. I just wanted to let you know that I intend to request that you be made a Junior Professor at the end of your seventh year, if you still desire that that is.”

Elizabeth hugged the older witch and kissed her on the cheek while whispering her response.

“Nothing would make me happier, Professor McGonagall.”

“Move along then, Miss Potter and Miss Campbell appear to be ready to get back up to Gryffindor Tower to prepare for the trip home. I will see all of you next term.”

Three excited girls hurried from the room while Elizabeth relayed the information that she had received to her friends. The trip back up to the Gryffindor Common Room was quick and they soon were passing the portrait of the Fat Lady for the last time that term.

“I’m really going to miss her after next term,” Beatrice announced.

“Me to,” Lily added.

“I guess that I get to keep seeing her.”

Lily and Beatrice looked at their friend as they realized that her future had already been decided. They would leave Hogwarts Castle behind at the end of the term, but Elizabeth would walk the corridors of the school for a long while after they were gone.

They walked up the stairs to the dorm where so much had happened and watched as their trunks vanished. Tiger, dawdling about entering the cage, was the last thing to go as usual and Elizabeth knew that he was already on the train waiting for her to release him from the confinement that he was in.

The girls looked around the empty dorm for the last time that term and then walked down to the rapidly emptying common room. They joined the crowd that was making its way down the stairs and Elizabeth caused a slight backup when she stopped to look longingly at the new portrait that had joined those that had occupied the walls for a very long time.

“Goodbye Victoria, I’ll see you next term,” she whispered as her fingers glided over the surface of the portrait.

“Goodbye Elizabeth, I’ll miss seeing you.”

The insistent urgings of others behind her finally persuaded the girl to move on and they were soon walking out of the castle to make their way down the long and winding path to Hogsmeade. As they walked, the trio of sixth year girls realized that they were the uppermost class the next term. Someone from their year would be made Head Boy and Head Girl and it would be the last time that they would make this walk at the end of the term. They could apparate at the end of the next term when it came time to leave.

As they prepared to walk around a bend in the path, a bend which would conceal the castle from them, Elizabeth turned to look at the castle once again. A tear ran down her cheek as she turned back to hurry to catch up with her friends.

“You okay?” Lily asked.

“Yeah, I just can’t believe all of the changes that are coming for us.”

The crimson Hogwarts Express sat waiting for the students that were beginning to board it and the girls hurried to their compartment. Tiger sprang free as his cage door was opened and hurried to climb into the arms of Elizabeth. She kissed him gently and ran her nose through his fur before he escaped to visit her friends and accept the treats that they had for him.

Elizabeth looked out through the window as Hogsmeade Station vanished and then gasped as she caught a brief glimpse of the castle through the trees.

“You’re really going to miss that place, aren’t you?” Lily asked.

“Who wouldn’t?” Elizabeth answered.

A shout in the companionway announced the fact that the rough and tumble of the twins had begun and Lily sighed as she rose to deal with it.

“That, I will miss. This I will not!”

Elizabeth Blackwell-Potter smiled as her friend exited the compartment to deal with the errant behavior and then settled back to sleep for the journey. She awakened as the train was pulling into the station and her friends spoke to her.

“You were a lot of company,” Beatrice complained. “Poor Tiger, you ignored him to the point that he fell asleep and didn’t want to play.”

Elizabeth ran her fingers over the fur of her pet and was rewarded with a purr. She picked him up and placed him back into his cage before closing the door once he had been caressed by her friends. They rose to leave the passenger car and soon were on the platform where their families waited.

Elizabeth’s parents and grandparents gathered around her as they hugged and then were interrupted by a new arrival who had stepped up to them.

“Can I cut in?”

The young woman turned to see Albus standing next to her with abroad smile on his face. She broke free to step into his outstretched arms and then kissed him as they embraced. The young wizard kept his arms around his wife as they stood together and then released to look at her family.

“Does this mean that you aren’t going home with us?” John asked.

“Oh, I will for now, but after this summer my room is going to be a lot emptier.”

“I guess that I’ll finally have room for my library,” Artemis joked as his granddaughter stood with her mouth open. “I also guess that you will finally have the time to continue your studies. By the end of the summer you’ll finally be an Animagus! You said an owl, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, Grandpa, an owl.”

“Then we have no time to lose, I have to show you which mice are safe to eat.”

“Grandpa, I think that we can skip that part, okay? I’ll let Tiger worry about the mice.”

The group, along with Harry, Ginny, and Albus, vanished from the platform with a series of POPs leaving laughter in their wake. None of them paid any attention to the wizard which watched from the shadows and then stepped out into the light once they were gone, the aroma of PolyJuice potion surrounding him.

“You’re safe for now, daughter, but I’m not defeated, not yet!”

Marcus Beales-Armstrong vanished with a POP as several Aurors appeared on the platform in a vain search for him.

 

**Elizabeth’s sixth year has come to an end and only summer break stands between her and her final term.  I want to thank J.K. Rowling for the inspiration for this story and AO3 for providing a place to post it.  Thanks again to my readers and please let me know what you think of my work via feedback.  Your responses tell me what I need to improve upon.**


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